[carlrmj]

  I was wondering if anyone has any idea what is wrong with my roses .
 
  I pruned them in March ( the same as every other year ) in exactly the same way .

  Out of the 20 bushes 15 have not grown , but have these stunted growths on them which open out .

  I don't know  if is fungal ,bacterial or insect damage 

  Thanks Carl

[mumofstig]

Have they got, or had, a severe greenfly infestation?

[carlrmj]

  I don't think they have , although they had brown spots on some of the leaves last year ,and they are over 20

  years old 

[compostqueen]

You might have pruned them too radically?  You could give them a good dose of rotted manure around them and water

[Trillium]

The soil around the rose is cracked. Is it dry? If so, roses do need lots of water and perhaps the suggested feeding of rotted manure or fresh rabbit manure if you can get hold of any.

[Aunt Sally]

You might have pruned them too radically?  You could give them a good dose of rotted manure around them and water

That's what I thought too.  You have pruned the VERY hard 

[Aunt Sally]

The soil around the rose is cracked. Is it dry? If so, roses do need lots of water and perhaps the suggested feeding of rotted manure or fresh rabbit manure if you can get hold of any.

I probably won't be too dry in Rugby - it could be too wet though.

[Yorkie]

How sharp were your secateurs?  Did you tear the stems or were they really clean cuts?

What had you used the secateurs on previously?  Could they have been infected?

[carlrmj]

The. Secateuers were fairly sharp, I had previously used them to prune the apple and pear
 Trees, I think I did tear some branches?
 I will put some rotted manure down ,and I did prune them quite hard,as I was trying to get rid
 of a lot of the old growth
 
 
 

[Aunt Sally]

How about weed killer damage ?

Some pictures here (scroll down).

http://knysnarose.co.za/blogs

[carlrmj]

I,ve just looked at the weed killer damage pictures.

They look very similar to the damage on my roses.

 I can't recall using weed killer near them.

 what is there chance of recovery if any if it is weed killer damage.

 Thanks Carl

[Aunt Sally]

I've no idea what their chances are, Carl.  I'd say be kind to them and give them a chance.

Have you used any manure that might have had aminopyralid in it ?

[devonbarmygardener]

If the leaves had brown spots on last year they may not have been entirely healthy.

As everyone has said above, good mulch, plenty of water and I would get yourself some 'Rose Clear' - a good all round rose pest/disease spray.

I've just sprayed mine over the last couple of days as the new buds have greenfly on them and a few of the lower leaves have blackspot.
It's not an organic spray though - but ok if you're not fully organic.

[carlrmj]

I will get some rose clear tomorrow,i've given them
a good mulch .
 
Carl.

[simpson-allen]

The problem with rose clear is it's devastating effect on bees. If it's just aphids then use a solution of washing up liquid and warm water. Some say it clogs up the greenfly's lungs ( I didn't know they had any) but whatever the reason, it certainly seems to work. Make sure you look underneath the leaves and inside newly developing ones. They tend to go for young shoots, leaves and buds, but check the others just in case. Unfortunately if you leave just one they'll soon be back. They're all female and don't require a male to reproduce. One up there for the bra burners  It's a continual fight for all rose growers, but then you  probably already know that as an experienced rose grower. I think you might have pruned a bit too near the time they were readying themselves for this year's growth as it's unusuial for even  avirus to have such an effect as you've got there.