What wrong with my roses stems?!?!

Hi, can someone please offer some advise on our DA Elizabeth rose? The stems look a bit strange? Thank you

 

It's physical damage caused by the thorns on other stems rubbing on them and stems rubbing on concrete etc.. Best to prune that yellow, badly damaged stem down to a healthy, outward facing bud. Feed and water the plant and you should get some good, healthy new growth.

 

@noisette47 thank you. You are so helpful. That’s good to know. I’d say at least half of the stems are like this. Shall I cut off all the affected ones/parts? Any recommended feed for roses?

 

No, leave the smaller ones that already have new leaves. I can't advise on UK products, sadly. Roses do love a feed of rich, organic matter, I.e. well-rotted farmyard manure applied as a mulch over the roots (away from the stems) at 2-3" thick. Not to everyone's taste, though, and a nightmare if you've got dogs that like rolling in it
The 'clean' options are granules, liquid feed or blood, fish and bone.

 

I used Toprose. Peter Beales Classic Roses recommends it.

Old stems get like that, or damaged stems. So long as the plants is growing new stems I wouldn't bother. The oldest stems can then be cut out from the bottom if they aren't producing good flowers.

You could ask David Austin for advice.

 

The David Austen rose 'Elizabeth' was only introduced in 2022 so it should have good, healthy looking stems. I was given two, which are potted and look perfectly healthy.

I suspect something else is causing the stems on your rose to look like that, it could be the hot weather over the last few years or maybe inadequate watering/feeding. I don't think it's damage caused by thorns/crossing branches. Your soil looks a bit lifeless, is it clay or perhaps a new-build garden?

Another photo showing the position would help us to give more advice.

 

Have you had a hailstorm in the last year?

My roses were damaged like that with pitted scars after a violent hailstrom one May. Other woody stems suffered the same injuries and soft foliage on my baby squash, hostas and rhubarb was shredded to a mush.

 

I misread Elizabeth, thought of Queen Elizabeth which is a much older rose. I agree with @lizzie27.

 

As Busy Lizzie suggested, I’d email DA.
It can do no harm to ask and it will register your concerns if the rose should take a turn for the worse. Don’t forget, you have a 5 year replacement warranty from DA