Is that a photo of the rose before it started dying? Because it looks very much alive to me.

The best way to prepare a new bed is not to dig out the turf but to smother the turf using a lasagna method and then planting right in it--the dead grass adds a lot of organic material, vital for any soil, sandy or clayey. The best way to improve soil is to keep adding organic material through mulch or, if the area is already prepared and plants are not in the way, tilling it in.

The best thing to do is get some silty clay soil and mix it in. You would have to get a truckload and find a place nearby that has it. Doubt any stores sell bags of it. Adding compost is a good idea, but unless you constantly add it, it's temporary. Long term, you need clay and silt to hold the water.

Mulching the bed will improve water retention.

Do not add clay to sand! What both clay soil and sandy soil need is organic material.

The best soil is loam. Which is a mixture of clay, silt and sand.

https://blog.petersoncompanies.net/best-type-of-soil-for-plants#:~:text=The%20ideal%20blend%20of%20soil,%25%20silt%20%E2%80%93%2020%25%20clay.

sand is not a drainage issue.. its the pefect draining soil ... so its a water issue ... its nto the same thing if you think about it ...

if you are in such heat and drought.. that the plant requires to be watered twice a day.. then water it twice a day.. whats the big deal .. just do it ...

and add a good layer of mulch.. to keep the soil cooler.. retain moisture.. and reduce heat buildup ...

your plant looks very vibrant and vigorous.. me thinks you doth protest too much ... some years.. due to heat and drought.. rose FLOWERS just dont last more than a day or two.. especially on a recently planted shrub ... and there isnt much you can do about it.. but complain. and water .. its the farmers lament ... its too wet.. its too dry.... too much rain.. damn drought .....etc .... bugs.. famine,, plagues. lol .. if you want to go all biblical on it.. [ boy the bible and Shakespeare in one post.. man im banging it out today .. lol ../

ken

ps: https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffcm&q=doth+protest+too+much&ia=web

@charles kidder Loam is only the "best" soil for plants that like loamy soil. It's very much not the best soil for plants that like very sandy or silty soil. You also don't magically create loam by adding sand to clay. You basically get concrete instead:

https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2018-01-31-does-sand-improve-clay-soil-drainage

https://gardening.usask.ca/articles-and-lists/articles-healthysoils/no-adding-sand-to-clay-soils.php

@in_the weeds What plants is she planning to plant that prefer very sandy or very silty soil? She planted a rose. The rest of what you wrote is a non sequitur. I didn't tell her to add sand to a clay soil. I told her to add silty clay to a sandy soil. Completely different. Silty clay is a mixture of silt and clay and you can absolutely add it to sandy soil. Silt and clay will increase the soil CEC. Allowing it to hold water and nutrients better. Which is what she wants. How do you think loam is created?

@charles kidder Or, she could just add organic matter, which is a lot easier and more effective than the magical loam alchemy you're proposing.

@in_the weeds Yea, but it will only help temporarily. Unless it's continually added. Better to improve the soil while it's easy to do so. I've added course sand to my silty clay soil and it has helped with drainage.

@kidhorn2 can u recommend the name of the product that will have silt clay

Thank you Ben

I'll be honest, I skimmed all this above... I have Adams sandy loam. It drains fairly quickly. My roses love it. It took time for them to root, though--especially because they are located near 2 maples and a birch. The best thing I did, and this is what I am recommending, was to install drip irrigation. It looks like it would be very easy for most healthy folk to do it in that location. Just get a hunk of distribution tubing and an end cap, a FHT fitting, use an awl to make a hole in the distribution tubing, and install a single 1 GPH emitter. I think it's probably around forty dollars total through Home Depot. If you need the spigot for your garden hose then get a splitter too.., When it's hot and dry, I can turn on the drip for an hour... If you have an extra $50, you can get a timer to do it automatically, but that isn't really what I do. I bought the timers, but I almost always use them on manual.