Lucretia, I do not grow Teasing Georgia, but we grew The Squire for a LONG time, and it also had that problem.

Jeri

I also grew various Austins for a LONG time. Ultimately, all the whacking became sheer and unadulterated (sadistic?) pleasure. -- And then they were no more. Ahhhh . . .

Well said.
Rather like taking off too-small 5-inch spike heels at the end of a long day.
The relief was palpable.

That said, there are a very few Austins we cherish.
'Prospero,' 'Golden Celebration,' and 'Cymbaline' -- all disease-free
in our conditions.

Admittedly, that's a painfully small number, by comparison to the list
of those we grew, and dug up.

Jeri

I don't have this problem, mine is a lot bigger, I have some 10 ft canes, BUT I have it on an umbrella trellis. I do cut some of the longer wilder canes back this time of year (last year one was so long it whipped across the walkway and shredded my American flag).

Maybe get a tripod and secure the canes to it at least for 2 feet or two to give it some support?

It sounds like they are just going to be problem children. A real shame, since it's such a lovely rose when it's blooming. I'm not at the point of getting out the shovel yet, but I might try a support and several threats and see if they respond.

Georgia seems to love a whacking for mine is now blooming afterone such treatment two months ago However, given its size I do not see it thriving other than on a 7ft umbrella trellis. I think that's the answer.
BTW I got this advice from Buford a few months ago, and it has worked. Thanks Elizabeth if you're out there.

Silly me, I believed the tag when it said it only grew 3-4' tall. I did just find a nursery site that said "summer pruning required if grown as a shrub." I might try some extra whacking this year to see--the roses are in a spot where I need a fairly low (less than 5') plant. If they don't perform (or if they don't survive the whacking they just got!) I might move them elsewhere--I have a nice fence where they could do well. Or maybe I'll move one now and try summer pruning of the other. Part of the fun of all this is learning what works and what doesn't.

I'm here rosarama! Someone here on GW also has TG on an arbor and it looks great. If you are in zone 6 or higher, it's going to get big, so you need some kind of support.

Winter does the whacking here in the North - we're used to having to prune everything back anyway because of winter damage, so the Austins are treated just like the rest. They rarely get as big as their California and Georgia relatives, so pruning isn't so intimidating. It's a mixed blessing.