I go through this internal argument every year. Do I prune off the blind shoots and hope that will encourage more growth? Or is the rose weak enough that it needs the leaves to just build up its food stores and energy?

You'll have to decide. Just an FYI, but the blind shoots themselves are probably evidence of freeze damage - just not enough to kill the canes outright. Every rose variety reacts just a little bit differently to freeze. Similarly, if the temps were close to freezing and not a deep-freeze, then you'll have all sorts of variation. Besides the variety's inherent freeze resistance (or lack of), it all depends on the location, the wind blocks nearby, the amount of sun, etc., etc. The only thing that will be the same is if you have two of the same bushes in the same location - even then, there may be some variance.

If the bush is healthy and vigorous otherwise - cut away - but probably just down to the next 5-leaflet leaf. If the bush is somewhat weak - one or two canes, very short, and struggling to hang on, then I'd leave them.

Ultimately, it's a judgment call ...

I think you are right about freeze damage- we got down to 10 degrees one night. Most nights would have been below freezing all winter` generally in the 20s.
I just noticed today some of my roses are developing a little more cane die back after putting on their new growth. As though they gave up on a few more tips after getting moving down below. Just 4 or 5 inches shriveled up. So, yeah, I think something they had freeze damage.

The roses all look fat and healthy and green, except Stephen's big purple being an ostrich. I think I'll prune the older ones down a bit harder - cutting back canes with eyes below---and just take the baby SBP back to a 5 leaf..

I don't grow roses for their foliage!

Oh hey, Jeri, just saw you posted after I replied.

I was planning on ditching that weird thatch of growth on CI, so good to hear your thoughts are in this line----unfortunately- SBP, doesn't have much else going on, so I will leave it to do what it will this summer and let it die back in winter.

Our climate is not really ideal for roses in--- 50 percent of our winter days are above freezing, and nearly every night is below. Some times we get to the high 40s for a while with sun, then head back below 20. Over and over.

This excessive freeze thaw cycling doesn't seem to bother the Austins and old roses, but the HTs are harder to keep alive and growing larger than in zone 4 montana where it freezes and stays frozen. My mom grew an unprotected (no mulch no nothin) Double Delight with the graft a good 4 inches above ground for 20 years- blooming it's head off and growing a massive root system like driftwood before a very early freeze (went from 60s to 5 degrees in late October) took it and many old trees with it.

Lola-lemon
You may not grow roses fotr the foliage but the foliage is necessary. Leaves make the food that makes the flowers. There are many reasons for blind shoots and the most likely are mentioned above.
I have 400 roses and none have a frustrating flaw of blind shoots.
Short leafy blind shoots are removed, Normal length canes that are blind are pruned back to a thick portion of cane and allowed to set buds which they normally do.

Lol! Carl, i am aware a rose needs foliage. >_<.>Thus SBP will be keeping his this year. I wouldnt keep a rose though which gave no flowers, so I look to change that aspect is my point.

I like your advice about pruning back to a thick part.

(BTW, Crysler imperial is noted historically for having a tendency to blindwood. 100 percent blind in some cases).

Lol! Carl, i am aware a rose needs foliage. >_<.>Thus SBP will be keeping his this year. I wouldnt keep a rose though which gave no flowers, so I look to change that aspect is my point.

I like your advice about pruning back to a thick part.

(BTW, Crysler imperial is noted historically for having a tendency to blindwood. 100 percent blind in some cases).

Bunchy blind growth with crowded, undersized leaves is a reliable sign of freeze damage or other damage (canker, borer) to the cane. 10 degrees F is enough to damage some green, 1-year-old canes (depending on the variety and the weather circumstances). As you've probably heard, in spring pruning you should clip green canes down gradually until you find white, not brown pith.

With large, well-established plants, I wouldn't hesitate to re-prune at this point. They have stored energy to drive strong new growth. With plants that were bands last year, it's a judgment call, but I'd probably lean toward letting them keep the leaves they have managed to produce.

In a climate where winter damage occurs, I'd be leery of own-root hybrid teas, especially from bands. Actually I've had no success with own-root hybrid teas. I'm not going to try any more of them.

Oh hey, Jeri, just saw you posted after I replied.

I was planning on ditching that weird thatch of growth on CI, so good to hear your thoughts are in this line----unfortunately- SBP, doesn't have much else going on, so I will leave it to do what it will this summer and let it die back in winter.

Our climate is not really ideal for roses in--- 50 percent of our winter days are above freezing, and nearly every night is below. Some times we get to the high 40s for a while with sun, then head back below 20. Over and over.

This excessive freeze thaw cycling doesn't seem to bother the Austins and old roses, but the HTs are harder to keep alive and growing larger than in zone 4 montana where it freezes and stays frozen. My mom grew an unprotected (no mulch no nothin) Double Delight with the graft a good 4 inches above ground for 20 years- blooming it's head off and growing a massive root system like driftwood before a very early freeze (went from 60s to 5 degrees in late October) took it and many old trees with it.

ugh! I am having technical problems (user error) I seem to be double posting when I use my back button. I do not know where that old response came from.

Update:
So, i pruned everything down atleast a few inches (stephens big purple) or more --and now i have buds! Each prune cut rewarded me with a healthy shoot which has a bud. My one year old (band last year ) stephens big purple now has 5 buds! Chrysler imperial probably needed more pruning than it got, but it's showing several buds too! Yahoo.
Thanks for all your advice- i'll be whacking those brooms off without delay if I see them again.

That's great news, Lola! Pruning, in general, will usually stimulate new growth. I had a lot of blind growth this spring too and when I cut it off they all popped out with buds. I think the strange spring weather may have had a lot to do with why so many of us experienced the blind growth this year.

A cane with no blooms is called a Blind one? I have a own root Mile Hill..(I think that's what it's called) is only 2 years old and it has a nice branch..nice leaves..no blooms..the blooms are on the other branch. What to do?

No flowers= blind growth.
My blind growth (and what folks here tell me is typical blind behavior) was extra leafy and bunched up - - basically many short leafy branchies from one small area- like a broom end (witches broom type).
Cutting it back a bit stimulated it to send out one nice new shoot (just like when you dead head and it grows again) that now has a flower bud. I cut back to a new 5 leaf that wasnt already overfull of branchings. In one cane i had to cut it way back down to an eye bud because there really were no available 5 leafs not full of brooms on that cane. It's sprouted a nice new shoot too.
Does this make sense?? Hope this helps.