Hi rose friends,
My parents have a rose that they've been trying to kill for a long time. Ran it over with the lawn mower every year, grass growing all around it. But it kept growing back and blooming.

They decided to try to take care of it now, but it all of a sudden looks sad. There are yellowing leaves and it looks kind of droopy. I pulled up a bunch of grass around it and added some compost at the base. While digging I found LOTS of insects (winged things that could be ants or termites maybe, a few beetle/stink bug things, a slug), but I don't know if that's what I should expect to find when I dig under plants.

It is also planted on the southwest corner of the house with full sun and no cover.

Would you recommend anything to help this guy recover? Thanks!

Just clean the grass out from around it for now. Keep it watered and let it grow back. Wait for it to bloom so we can see what if might be. After being mowed it may have reverted to the root stock.

And drive a big stake in nearby so that the lawnmower will have to miss it.

Cool, will do! Thanks guys.

Yeah, my mom put a tomato cage around it to try to protect it from my dad. He's got it out for that thing.

Looks like she could use some water and a bamboo stake or obelisk to be loosely tied to with twine, wire, etc.

If you or your parents have some fertilizer handy, she'd really like that.

If you want to buy her something, she'd like alfalfa. And the organic fertilizer that is diluted with water then poured directly onto the foliage does WONDERS for neglected roses. I find it gives the fastest results. Gets in their systems quickly and gives a quick turnaround. If I'd buy one thing, that's what I'd buy. You can buy at your local nursery or Walmart or Lowe's or Home Depot. I recently used an organic fertilizer in a little cubed shape box - a dr something for roses - that was a blue powder- and i scooped 2tbs into a 2 gallon watering can and added water then then poured over the foliage of the rose bush. I did this to every rose in my yard. and I could literally see a perky difference the next day. (Follow the "recipe" on the box of whatever you buy as it might be a little different than mine, of course.)