What am I doing wrong?

Can you explain how and where you planted the bush?

What Janet said, but I'll add, what type of roses did you plant? Some are very fussy. I had terrible luck with roses until I bought knock out roses.

roses love sunny dry locations. there are plenty of suggestions from the American rose society...but I also suggest you put a handful of steel nails in the hole when planting....the nails must be a type that rusts...not anodized or galvanized. as the nails rust, they provide iron to the plant. use a regular feeding of rose food...and finally sprinkle the ground around the bush with EPSOM salts and used coffee grounds and broken up egg shells...I have a beautiful rose garden with over 50 varieties....my problem is deer love to eat the flowers...so I put up a shock fence.

If you are planting those little plant roses ( like you get in a grocery store ) they are more for a gift and dont always make it when planted . Buy a good rooted plant at a plant nursery

Check with your local County Extension office. Here's a link to a list of the offices around the US. They can give wonderful advice.

http://www.pickyourown.org/countyextensionagentoffices.htm

Have you tried knock out roses? My mother raised roses (primarily peace roses) and I found that some people have great luck, others, don't. I have a peace rose bush that is barely making it. However, I bought knock out roses and the nursery man said, "Just plant them." And he was right. I bought this pink knock out rose a year and a half ago, on discount. The clerk even joked that I was "Bringing it home to die." All I did was plant it and water it. Now look at it. Knockout roses just love to grow. I end up having to prune them way back in the late winter, so they don't overtake everything.

Sounds like the issue was you planted to deep. Remember when planting only peatmoss is used in the hole.Holes should be twice the sixe of the pot.When the plant is placed in the whole there should be enough space to add soil but when all said and done the soil should be even.Fertilizer should never be applied to newly planted plants.Annuals and vegetables are different.Rule of thumb for TREES,SHRUBS,ROSES AND PERENNIALS....ONE YEAR AFTER ESTABLISHED GROWTH FOR ANY FOOD.

My peppermint striped climbing rose looked mighty shabby and only produced greenery the 5th year. So come the following spring I started putting some banana peels around the base of the rose stems along with wet used coffee grounds spread so they wouldn't mold. I did that as soon as the temps stayed above 32. Next thing I knew I had the most proficient rose bush, more blooms than I'd seen on it in years!

I'll try it! Thank you!