okay this thread seems to have slipped through the rosenut's hands... any other master rosarians out there that could answer this?

Sorry Joebar,
I had to go out of town Tuesday afternoon and didn't return until this afternoon.
Re: your rose. I'd not replace the soil in an area where I removed another rose or plant. I'd amend the soil that's there with lots of horse manure or other organics and plant the new bush giving it at least a year to get established before getting excited about any growth or lack of growth. Neptune has not done well for me and I've tried three of them.
Was your Rosemary Harkness an own root plant?
Your area had a rough winter didn't it?
Keep in mind any buds you had were the result of stored nutrients and moisture, not from this year unless it was grown in a greenhouse all winter. Often we expect too much from a first year rosebush forgetting it has to establish a root system. This is especially true if the root ball was disturbed when it was planted. In that case it has to start growing feeder roots all over again. The bush will sulk and sleep before it perks up. Keep it well watered. Use fish meal or fish emulsion to give it a boost and lay off any chemical fertilizers for now.
Mom Nature does things in her own good time and seldom follows our time schedule.

yes this rose was own root and when i planted it, all of the soil around the root ball fell away. so i should just leave it for the year then?
this rose was a two year old plant field grown and then potted up for the 2009 season.
i received a replacement Neptune from this place at the same time i planted the new RH- but this time i planted the neptune in a container versus the hole that the RH is now in. it is dynamite and very happy in the pot.
yes
we had a rough long winter here, but whatever growth we were behind in is long gone due to an intense heat wave sweeping through here; i am sure we are going to see lizards and rattlesnakes pretty soon cause its like arizona right now!
i totally understand that the little bit of growth i saw early on after planting could have been due to stored nutrients. that sounds very accurate to the situation.

A Neptune grew well for me in a pot also. As soon as I transplanted it, it began to lose vigor and failed to survive the following winter.

Joebar, my Rosemary Harkness is ownroot, planted a year ago last April. I was comparing RH to other ownroot roses planted at the same time and RH seems slow to establish and grow; she's definitely still slender and only a couple of canes and few blooms. This may be a rose that just takes awhile to get going.
-terry