Two years ago, I bought an antique rose bush for my parents. They pitched the documentation that came with it, and of course, I have no memory of just what kind of rose it is.
It nearly got killed off twice when the dog tried to tunnel under it. The dog eventually found a new home, and the bush has fully recovered. It grows like gangbusters. We have to trim it back every six weeks, or it spreads into the other bushes.
But for two years now, it hasn’t put off a single blossom. We water it regularly, give it the special rosebush food, cut off any suckers from the roots, and trim it back when it gets out of hand. Can anyone suggest something?
It might be the kind that blooms on old suckers. So all the trimming might be cutting off the potential blooms. Some of those old roses get seriously enormous very fast.
Other than not trimming it, I don’t have any ideas.
Primaflora currently living in the subtropics where roses are hopeless
Most roses bloom on new shoots, but certainly six weeks isn’t long enough to set buds and show flowers. The best way to prune is to cut back more or less severely once a year, usually over the winter or in early spring. The best amount to cut depends on the variety, but old roses are pretty durable. If the other bushes are in the way, too bad for them. (Hey, old roses are much more important than any other kind of bush!)
Many roses are climbers, too, so if your parents have a convenient place, they could just train it up the side of their house or over a garage, and avoid having to prune at all.
Not that it’s exactly relevant but your Subject title reminds me of a story about W.C. Fields. It’s a little known fact that he was a passionate horticulturist. He had a rare bloomer of some kind, I don’t remember the exact species, and invited a good friend over when it finally blossomed forth. When the friend arrived it has closed up for the day. Fields took this personally and began beating it with his umbrella yelling “Bloom! Bloom for my friend, damn you!”