Possibly rose weevil/curculio, although you've stumped me with the clematis doing the same thing.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rose curculio - see also the PHOTOS tab

Thank you for your answer! Yes, the damage looks just like the link, but it's not that many holes... just one, two per flower/stem and it happens a lot to the tiny unopened buds....they just yellow and fall as if they've been broken. and it's really similar black tiny holes ( the size of a needlepoint) on the clems...but you say this bugs couldn't eat clems....

Have you tried to gently pull on your plants to see if they are firmly in the ground? Voles, moles, gophers could be culprits.

Also what is your soil like? Have you dug down beside the plants to see if the soil smells bad? Possibly you did not make your planting holes large enough, and the plants are drowning or drying up?

I can help you in either case, but it would save reading space to find out if your planting hole is draining.

Sammy

Well, yes, the soil is very bad ( I think) Nobody else grows anything in their yards, only weeds. This side of the backyard was apparently raised few years ago, as the ground was sloping down badly and the fence fell down. The soil has about 10 inches of medium color clay ( hard and sticky), then I hit sand ( about 5 inch thick) then hard soil again. I also found garbage in the soil, such as rust pieces of metal, plastics, brick pieces...which I removed.

I made the hole pretty deep and somewhat large, and I threw in there garden soil mixed with the local soil, but not much. On top, I put some bought compost. Nothing else grows really well, so yes, soil might be a problem. I water every day, if it doesn't rain, but it did rain lots in the last three weeks.

Swimming pool effect. You put some good soil in a yard of clay or bad soil. The good soil lets the water drain down so that you think you need to water or you really do need to water, but the water begins to pool up from the bottom and becomes rancid. When the rose begins to die, you dig down and find out that the roots are sitting in a pool of rancid stinking water.

When you plant a rose, even one rose, you need to work up the soil for a large area so that you have proper drainage for that one rose. You might consider digging up the rose, and looking at what you have. If you don't want to dig up a large area, then why not purchase a large pot, and put the rose in that? You would have to water and fertilize more, but in the long run it might be easier to do that then to try to work up a larger planting area.

Sammy

Thank you ! I 've never heard of swimming pool effect, but what you say is very logical.

I am scared of what is going to happen now, as all my plants have been planted the same way. I just started this gardening project from scratch ( an without any knowledge, it's my first time gardening, because I got married so I just moved here) and now I see what I did wrong. And I did it everywhere. Scary stuff, as every thing is along the fence, and circled with more little fences, so that my dog doesn't pee in all of them. I'll try a major digging project, re-digging around everything, and mixing with good soil, as I am to scared to take anything out of the ground, now that they are all in flower. I already had to move a poor clematis twice, as the neighbor's kids must be possessed, they are so destructive at times...

Thank you again, I really appreciate your help

I would like to suggest that you start making compost and slowly improve your soil. My soil was so bad- all clay and when it was wet it was mucky and then it would dry out and become like cement. I kept adding leaves and mulch and bascically whatever I could get and turning it in to the ground. During this time, I was gardening in raised beds I built with scrap wood and in pots. It was giving the plants a chance anyway. The soil is better now, and the water does not stand and it does not dry to concrete. This is because of the organic matter and the zillion earthworms who kept working on it for me. The more you can improve your soil, the easier it is to grow plants. I knew someone who had new soil brought in but that is expensive. I was broke and just hauled in leaves and whatever kitchen scraps I had. My first compost pile was so ugly but, I remember the thrill of using my first compost batches in the garden. Good luck, you're on your way to the best garden around. Don't be discouraged- it's long hard work but also the most satisfying work I know of.