It sounds good to me but I'm kinda new at this rose thing. I would love to see a pic of your Heritage, I planted one a few weeks ago and would like to see a established one. I planted her knowing she would spread too so at least that won't be a suprise for me.

If I get family or friend over when the gazillion blooms open, I will have them take a pic & send to my email so I can post! Alas, I don't have anything but a "dumb" phone, so I can't take pics!

Sounds like you have the problem well in hand. However, you might think about moving 1 or 2 of the roses Heritage is trying to smother. If she wants more space, give it to her!

I too look forward to seeing some pics.

Kate

I agree with Kate...
I wouldn't mind seeing pics myself...

I can see Heritage getting out of control, but Fair Bianca is usually well behaved. Could be that they are young and the canes aren't strong enough to support the blooms. They should both mature and eventually you won't have floppy canes.

bufore,
Nope--these bushes are about 10 years old--if not that, close to it. You are right--the Fair Bianca is much more well behaved than Miss Heritage is ! Still getting a little wiry though, more than past years.

I'm actually going to move my Heritage this winter. It wants to grow like climber and I have it in a spot where that won't work.

Sometimes in the spring, especially if there is a lot of rain, the canes grow fast but don't harden up before they get buds and then they are weighed down by the blooms. Did you cut them back this spring?

Do you spray? I only ask as I never imagined anyone with any BS pressure at all would ever refer to Heritage and especially Fair Bianca as disease resistant roses. Beautiful yes, but not disease resistant by any stretch here. They were total BS disasters and Fair Bianca also was prone to mildew in the fall.

Use a tomato cage for support. They work well for floppy Austins.

I'm trying to imagine an out-of-control Fair Bianca.

I wonder if FB was mislabeled. FB is the least vigorous Austin rose I have grown. 'Heritage' grown as a shrub needs 6' width, and then with normal shrub pruning it is very well behaved.

Buford, yes, I cut all my roses back in the Spring. I've dealt over the 21 years we've had all our bushes with blackspot--mainly in the Fall, around October/November. Heritage & Fair Bianca have not been afflicted with any disease. Truly, they are the healthiest bushes I have ever had. Beautiful, not my favorite, but the healthiest. I did spray for BS last season in Fall on the bushes affected. My Heritage & Fair Bianca were not afflicted. The Fair Bianca I normally don't have issues with it getting floppy and needing to be held up at all. It's not as bad as Heritage. I think they are just taking off with all the rain we have been getting. Tons and tons of buds waiting to burst open though. I have a Pat Austin in another area in our yard. That one really gets floppy with the blooms. Again, pretty, no diseases on this bush either, but the thinner branches don't hold up the blooms well.

'Fair Bianca' never got above 12 inches tall in my part of Southern California. I can't easily imagine it being "out of control."

I didn't say they were "out of control". They are just getting floppier. I had some die-back in the back due to our horrible Winter in Milw., WI. Maybe that is why they are leaning more forward this season. Put a bamboo stick in the back of the Fair Bianca & tied with the biodegradeable twine.