Hi there,
last year we had a wonderful rose season with vigourous growth and beautiful flowering. This spring (I'm in New Zealand) the bushes have failed to grow hardly at all, as you can see in the image. Last year these bushes would have been 2-3 feet higher. I find it hard to believe that such severe ill health can be due to black spot or such like. We have a bed of around 15 bushes, and they are all the same. Any ideas please?

I looks like some form of disease or insect predation. Hopefully, Lola from NZ will respond as I'm completely unaware of what issues you may have there. Have you sprayed with anything such as weed killer that may have drifted?

It does look like a disease or insects that specifically targets roses because the other plants around it seem untouched. It also looks fairly old with a couple of bits of dying wood that need to be cut off. Can we have a close-up shot of the leaves?

Vaporvac - I'm not in NZ although most Tasmanians would like us to drift over the sea to become New Zealand's West Island. We are frequently left off maps of Australia but we don't mind too much because we like to keep this place a secret.

I know that, Lola. I just had a brain cramp trying to think of someone nearby who may have similar stuff. :((

Regardless of where you are, IF, that is a disease find something to treat it now.
Do a web search of rose diseases that can affect roses in the manner yours were hit, and treat them now.
You cannot hurt them by even using the wrong treatment as they are in a world of hurt.
By guessing you have some thing that hits the canes rather than the leaves.

mbjackson, when you look at the tips, the ends of the canes do you see any holes drilled into the canes? Check all the canes on all your rose bushes please.

Here a few photos:
http://www.plantsgalore.com/ca...

Thanks guys for the info. It really is a bad disease. The creeping Roses beneath them are unaffected. They should be 1m tall now and in full bloom as per last year. Please see some new photos.....there are no holes drilled into the canes.
Could it be some virus?

It looks like a canker to me that has infected the nodes. This in turn keeps it from sending out healthy growth, blooms, etc. You could spray with a fungus spray for blackspot and hope for the best, but the rose bush may not recover unless it gets some new canes that are unaffected. It happens more in wet weather than dry, so maybe you have had a lot of rain?

mbjackson said: Please see some new photos.....there are no holes drilled into the canes.
Could it be some virus?

Did you forgot to add the photos?