I live in NC and I don't see many roses. I love floribunda and tea roses and mine are just about dead.

Our clay soil is likely the cause. I know roses don't like their roots to be impacted.

There is a brand of rose that does well here; for the life of me I can't think of the name, but they are very popular though they don't seem like a real rose to me.

I like the roses that you can cut and bring in.

I guess you have to 'bloom where you are planted' and that means that here we have other lovely flowers that do very well. I'll just have to get to love them.

Tootsie

Roses can be planted in clay soil. The area where I live has clay soil. You might have to amend the soil around the roots with sand or loam to let the roots grow. That's all that you really need to do.

In fact, out in my field where I do nothing, I have the most beautiful wild roses, Rosa woodsii, that you will ever see. They get no care from me at all and the only water they get is rainfall, which is very little. The soil is clay.

Roses will adapt to their environment very well. Mine thrive on neglect! This year, they've not had any fertilizer, and I've pruned them once. They are doing very well. They do get regular water and that's about it!

If roses thrive on neglect, why is the rosebush I planted all covered with little holes on the leaves and only had four flowers? I planted it this spring.

The soil is clay, I amended it with compost, it is in a partly shady area, and it's one of those roses with many petals (but I can't remember what it is) and it's a climber.

Is there something I should have done besides planting it and putting up a trellis? I do water it sometimes...

Maybe it isnt happy in that spot. Have you ever noticed that plants of the same variety will grow good in one place, but look sick in another? It is because where they are thriving they are real happy. Roses like the sun, but will also thrive in partial sun

You want some flowers? Use earthworm castings, you will not believe it is the same rose. Even the ones not in their happy spot will get happy

We throw a shovel full of castings on each rose in the spring, and they become blooming idiots LOL.

When dead heading a rose, go down the stem until you come to the second 5 leaf cluster and clip right there.