Velleta, What you have described is Liquified Petroleum Gas (sometimes abbreviated LPG) used for the stoves, also known as propane or butane. That's what we had at home before we got natural gas (the underground pipe kind). However, I don't think it's the issue either. It wouldn't choose one plant. I only meant to say that the phrasing of that bit of advice wasn't really accurate and yet I'd found it multiple places. Added: Since sometimes other readers find these threads, I looked up "cooking gas" and it does seem to refer to LPG or the "bottled" gas instead of the natural gas. I think natural gas might do the same thing, but I don't want to sit a plant beside my unlit stove to see. I've had a couple of blossoms brown when they were near the cook top, but I only sit plants there waiting to repot them and I tend to neglect them for a day or two so I don't know if it's the gas or the neglect. It's on an island so they sit right beside the stove. I'm happy it's nothing incurable too. My understanding of the botrytis blossom blight is that it then progresses. There are a lot of photos of it on other plants and it looks like something I've seen on outdoor plants. It's not exactly slimy but mostly looks either decayed or moldy on those ones. Diana This post was edited by quimoi on Thu, Apr 10, 14 at 11:30

Your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 9 tells us that your normal minimum winter temperatures are in the 20 to 30 degree range and that is all it tells us. Where in the United States are you? What kind of temperatures have you been having of late? Tomato blossoms often fail to set when temperatures exceed the upper 80's.

Tulips don't stand up well to heat and wind. So as far as the blooms drying out..you could try watering (in future years) if you are super dry but all I've ever done in less than ideal weather conditions, is cut the blooms once the petals have colored up, and bring them inside to enjoy. They just aren't meant to stand up to summer weather! The other thing I've found, is that almost every tulip starts to decline after a couple years. I know sometimes people will have a variety that comes back, year after year, but those are pretty rare. I grow only the varieties that are more long lived, and I still find that they decline after a couple years. It sucks. I should probably fertilize first thing in spring and again after blooming...

This could be because the plant is stressed. Perhaps the stones are reflecting heat, causing the buds to dry out? Is this in a super sunny spot? Do the rose leaves droop during the day? It would be worth trying more water (or less water, depending on how much it is getting already) and seeing how the plant reacts. It could be a fungal thing, like botrytis. You don't have any other damage on neighboring plants? In any case, if I were you, I would cut off all of the damaged buds and dispose of them (not through compost) just in case it is fungal. Hopefully my comment will bump up this post and you will get comments from people who have had the same issue.