it's too dry where I am to have deer, fortunately, but from what I read here they adore roses and are considered pests by rose gardeners. It shouldn't make any difference whether the Austins are bare-root or bought in containers. If there is disease in your area most Austins are quite likely to get it. It depends on the variety, though, and some are better than others. Hopefully someone who grows yours can chime in. Where exactly is Fairfax, by the way?

Thank you for responding. Fairfax is county in Virginia near Washington DC

Hi, Runerat! I'm about an hour SW of you near Charlottesville in Albemarle County. Deer visit this country garden daily & browse the roses when leafed out, being most drawn to buds & blooms they can reach. Keeping those out of reach by tall fencing is a foolproof method. Planting aromatic buffers around the roses, such as lavender, floppy borders that obscure sure footing, like lamb's ear/stachys, and similar strategic companion plantings form successful boundaries here. Many employ deer repellent sprays at intervals or mechanical motion-activated water sprays like the Scarecrow, or protect their roses with tall chicken wire cages. Chicken wire can also be laid on the ground as a skirt around roses, as deer are very hesitant to walk on it. Deer & other critter protection is an often discussed subject on many of the garden forums!

Many Austins grown no spray over the years here & a few that endure as healthy & vigorous, Golden Celebration among them. Since you've grown these varieties successfully before in the same climate, I'm thinking there may be other reasons they didn't do as well last year for you. Some nurseries around here pot bareroots & push quick lush growth for early bud & bloom sales with heavy-handed fertilizer applications, or buy from suppliers that do the same. Learned to avoid those nurseries, as it seemed the general health of the plants going forward was considerably less than those allowed to grow at a more natural pace. Your old garden may have different soil characteristics than your new one. Many variables to consider, so more details would greatly help for troubleshooting.

You might duplicate this post on the general Roses Forum for more feedback from several members from NOVA. Welcome to the forums!

Thank you for the chicken wire tip. I'll have to give that a try this year. Probably foolish, but I planted daylilies and have ordered 'prospero' for a spot that isn't protected by our fence. But, it's only 10' from my front door! Last year, saw a doe and her fawn snacking on my neighbors foundation plantings.

vasue VA thanks for all the tips. I'll definitely do the companion planting. Chicken wire is good idea too. Thanks for explaining how nurseries force fast growth. Lesson learnt. I should have stuck to the mail order company I had previously used. It was one of those weak moments, which I have many, new house & itch to plant the roses. I'm thinking of ordering one of those PH testing tool to see if the soil here is more alkaline than it was in my DC house. We have big pine tree in another corner of the house but the needles blow everywhere so might be further affecting the poor clay soil we have.

Rose cuttings from my DC house.