Give them a generous dose of alfalfa meal (cheap!), working it in lightly around the rose and don't skimp on watering.

Southern California soil is typically deficient in nitrogen. Roses want sufficient nitrogen to grow and bloom. Your roses have probably used what available nitrogen there is and are hungry for more.

I'm assuming of course they are getting a decent amount of direct sun and no tree root competition.

No tree roots anywhere near. But there are other rose bushes in close proximity. And the precious "Blue Ribbon" lies next to the biggest bush of them all... my favorite... "First Prize" which is HUGE. (I don't prune hard, the way most people do.)

The ailing "Brandy" has dichondra growing around it. I assume that plant, which I encourage, and which pops up spontaneously in that rose bed, resembles oxalis. As such, I believe they thrive in low-nitrogen soil. So that would corroborate your point about lack of nitrogen.

The thriving rose bushes seem to need no fertilizer. So perhaps I have overlooked the needs of the failing rose plants.

Wouldn't any fertilizer do? I have some in stock. And lawn fertilizer (or Aluminum Sulfate, alternatively) is practically "pure N." Can I use that? I realize that nitrogen can burn roots.

Use either rose food with alfalfa, bat guano, chicken manure etc. or, plain alfalfa for horses, applied as HoovB above explains. Look up "alfalfa tea" here on GW for that recipe. (fun reading)
Then water a good inch a week. I usually make a basin around rose at the drip line. Put on the water while you count slowly to 25. Then add a nice mulch on top. That should get you some results.
Good luck!

All good suggestions.
If it were me, I'd stick to something like the alfalfa at this point. Your intent is to stimulate the plant. It's probably best to do it "gently."

I'd add -- do NOT cut them back.
Probably the reason your Brandy's have done so well for you is that you don't prune hard.
Brandy doesn't like that. :-)

How do the bud unions look.
Budded plants can reach a point where they no longer send up new canes.

Jeri

I will attempt to post four pictures. Oops. That doesn't work...

Jeri inquire about my bud unions.

Well, I wouldn't know a good lookin' bud union from a bad one. But I do know that I get essentially no basal shoots from any of my 13 rose bushes... ostensibly because of my liberal pruning policy. I believe that if I were to hack a plant down to the bud union, conversely, I would get basal shoots.

This reminds me of the old saying, "What doesn't kill you will make you stronger." In the case of my rose bushes, I prefer discretion over valor.

I want to gradually bring these bushes back to vigor. I accept that they need nitrogen. I suspect that the nearby roses are victimizing the weaker bushes... though I have no way to "prove" that... reasonably.

I strongly believe that if I were to transplant my precious, feeble Blue Ribbon plant, it would die. So we're going to make the best of it, in its present position.

Come to think of it, that bush did quite well some 15 years ago, when the neighboring rose bush wasn't even there. That's about the time I transplanted it... from the front planter that is now exclusively filled with Brandies.

Thanks for your interest!

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:247259}}

It's a bit late in the year, but you can take out some older canes, this would hopefully induce the bud union to put out new basals. But do not take off all the canes. Also agree with the alfalfa and a lot of watering. Perhaps next year you can transplant or prune them back hard while continuing the fertilizing and watering so they will rebound.

Organic fertilizer is better than synthetic. Feed the soil, not the plants. Also from looking at the picture, it would appear that the smaller rose bush is being shaded by the larger one and may not be getting enough sun. Perhaps you could prune back the larger one (after the blooms fade) to allow more sun on the smaller one.

Long ago, we bought Brandy. It was one of our first modern roses, and I loved it, and I still do.
After a couple of years, I thought it ought to put out basals.
I sought advice from a SoCal "Great Rosarian" who urged me to prune it harder, to "force" it to put out new canes.
I did.
That got me a shorter bush, but no new canes.
Again, I was told to prune it harder.
I did.
It died.

About 3 years later, I was talking to Tom Carruth, and something came up about 'Brandy.'
I told him I'd had it, loved it, and lost it.
Tom said:
"You didn't prune it hard, did you? Brandy can't tolerate hard pruning. It will die."

So I recommend that you NOT do that.

Maybe you need to replace the two troublesome plants?
Only, first I'd take a look at the bud union, and see if there is room for new basals to emerge.
It would even be OK if it formed an ancillary crown, and produced "almost basals" from that.
But without new canes produced from SOMEWHERE, you are depending upon the old canes, and they're, well, OLD.
Sooner or later, canes wear out. So if you don't get new canes, the plant will decline.

The other possibility is that, the rose, which was virused to begin with, may just be losing vigor.

Jeri

Thank you all for your generous responses. Jeri, I won't prune my canes hard anyway... but your testimony was riveting in its importance... and relevance.

I posted another reply to this thread, with three pics, but for some reason it did not make it into publication.

I'll try a single photo here, instead of three, and stick to a known-good method. Here's a picture of three of my five Brandies. The slow plant is in the center, of course. By the way, it used to be very large and vigorous, until a couple years ago.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:247260}}

JohnPeter, Your photo, along with the news that the plant WAS large and vigorous, convinces me.
There are no "older canes" left to remove.
If the plants were mine, I would replace the one or two that are fading.

AAMOF, we have a hedge of 'Golden Celebration.' 1 or 2 plants about mid-way down died.
Those GCs are my husband's pet project, so he is replacing the ones that were lost.

Sometimes, plants just die.

Jeri

Well, the Blue Ribbon is irreplaceable, and worth some effort. I'll get some alfalfa meal.

How 'bout fish emulsion? I've been told that stuff is mild (the smell is no bother... it smells like "progress" to me) and it's supposed to provide predominantly nitrogen...

You may be able to have buds of "Blue Ribbon" grafted to a suitable rootstock for your soil. I know Steve of WI Roses does custom budding on Multiflora.

Frankly, if I were attempting to salvage that 17- or 18-yr-old 'Blue Ribbon', I would remove it immediately from its present location, do some serious root pruning on it if necessary, and plant it in a large container of fresh soil. Once rejuvenated, it could be replanted in a location where it would not be in such extreme competition for light and nutrients. I feel that container culture for ailing plants gives me much greater control, and gives the plant a better chance for recovery.

It appears that an automatic watering device is incorporated into your beds. Be aware that container-grown roses demand more vigilance than those planted directly in the garden. Unless one provides an automatic drip system, containers require frequent monitoring to maintain proper moisture.

Now here's what I'd like to do for the remaining roses in your foundation planting: Remove EVERY trace of grass/dichondra/oxalis; carefully hand-till the soil around and between the bushes -- deeply enough to break-up the top 4 to 6 inches of soil; add a generous layer of compost or rich top soil (working it in to the degree that you can), and then finish with a layer of mulch of some sort. Periodic application of fertilizer (especially now and early in the fall) is generally a very good idea.

There's got to be a chapter of the American Rose Society in your area, & I'd guess that most ARS chapters in CA have members who are consulting rosarians. Perhaps one of them might consult with you via email or -- who knows -- maybe even in person. Also, if you succeed in resuscitating your 'Blue Ribbon' one of those local experts might advise you on how to propagate that rare rose so you'll always have one and a spare for your garden.

I'll bet I'm not the only one on this forum who marvels at the fact that your roses are as old as they are, look as good as they do, appear to be disease-free and have been cared for by one who admittedly has paid very little attention to them until now. ;) We hope you have great success in rescuing all your roses!

Here is a link that might be useful: Consulting Rosarians by Area

johnpeter,

Plants in clay or loam soils can go a long time without fertilizer, but eventually some nutrients will be exhausted. Whenever you prune, pull weeds, cut a stem, or deadhead a spent bloom, you are removing nutrients from the system. I would start using an organic fertilizer such as Dr. Earth or alfalfa regularly, because these supply all essential nutrients. I don't think you need to treat the declining plants gingerly, just don't exceed label recommendations for any fertilizer.

If I wanted to see whether fertilizer is the problem, in addition to the organic feed (which is slow) I would water in a small amount of high-N lawn fertilizer, no more than 1 TB per square yard, well spread out. This should cause an immediate growth spurt. (Or use 2 tsp. of urea.)

Also as Jaxondel says, you should maintain an organic mulch (such as bark) at least 2" deep. This has many benefits for the soil and plants, as well as saving water and labor.

It's possible that the declining plants are worn out, but I'd try feeding them first. Also check to see that they are getting as much water as the happy plants. If not, that's the problem right there.