Do you mulch your roses? I have a good thick layer of shredded leaves around mine and that seems to help quite a bit.

Are they newly planted roses? Is there anyway you could
shade them during the hotter parts of the day? I have had
this happen with newly planted or moved roses. I also use
wilt-pruf which helps.

Yes, Austins often wilt if they are grown in afternoon sun.

Why don't you try an experiment. Water a couple of your Austins well about noon and see if that cures their afternoon wilts. If so, more moisture is the answer.

If they still wilt, I wouldn't worry too much as long as they perk up by evening. However, if they are recently planted, I would probably give them some extra water until they settled in.

Kate

I read from somewhere (probably DA website) that some David Austin roses require part-shade in the afternoon(ie Sharifa Asma) whereas others can handle the heat really well(ie Heritage). It depends on which variety you have.

As much as I love Pat Austin, she wilts before lunch.

Once they get older they stand up to the sun no problem. Even my Pat Austin doesnt wilt..but she is 4.

Mari

Yes, I had this problem with Sharifa Asma and Abe Darby despite enough water and mulch. Now they are in a shadier position and they don't wilt. But my climate is much hotter than yours so it is interesting for me to find out that they also wilt in a much milder climate.

The blooms on my Heritage do not last a long time, but the hot sun has never caused the petals to wilt. Even though the blooms are short-lived, they are perfect from bud until the last petal falls.

Randy

I have the same problem. I live 70 miles south of San Francisco in Sunnyvale. My roses are new this year. Did you get this issue solved? Did anything work?

Hi there. To respond to wanttogarden, if your plants are new this year, I wouldn't worry about it. The root system probably just hasn't caught up with the amount of green growth that has gone on above ground. The roots will really take off this fall, and next year you shouldn't have this problem. With me, the plants are older but still have the problem of the flowers wilting in the sun (the green growth does not wilt), and I was advised to stop using 100% organic fertilizer exclusively. When something is labeled organic, it cannot have any mined minerals in it, so 100% organic foods are lacking in many important minerals. This can affect flower development over time. I have switched to Rose Tone which gets a good percentage of the NPK from organic sources (although not all) but also has a complete range of minerals included as well. In addition to amending my sandy soil a bit, I am going to see if this helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

Just seeing this question. My Abe is newly planted (2 mths ago) and he requires a drink everyday in hotter weather or he wilts. Once he gets the drink, he's good to go. I fully expect this problem to resolve by next year, once he's rooted into his new spot.

Indiatree, since you are here in my area, you have available,from Grab 'n Gro in Sebastopol a fabulous mulch that seems to make all the roses sit up and smile. It is called for no reason, Mango Mulch and does have compost and alfalfa in it. They love it.I think afternoon shade is necessary for any red roses, because of the sunburn--generally, my others are good. I grow Gertrude Jeykyll,Eglantyne, Redoute,Golden Celebratiion, The Squire, Sharifa Asma,Jude the Obscure, Glamis Castle,and Evelyn.
la

Thank you very much Luanee for the the recommendation on the mulch. In addition to changing fertilizers and amending my soil as much as will allow since the roses are already in the ground, I will try to locate this mulch and put a good layer of it in my garden. I will report back.