Right, don't fertilize until they have recovered and have put out plenty of leaves. Bloom Buster is the wrong kind of fertilizer--regular Miracle Gro or Miracle Gro for Roses is fine, or any reasonably balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10 or 18-6-12. Watering correctly is the most important thing. Keep a 2" mulch of leaves or bark around the roses. When the soil under the mulch feels dry-ish, water thoroughly with 2-3 gallons for small plants or 5 gallons for larger, plus or minus for extremely hot or very mild, cloudy weather. Usually once a week is fine. For new plants, I divide the ration in half and water twice a week.

A 15-yr old rose bush may be past its peak. Modern roses in our increasingly hotter climate are only expected to live that long if they're on drip irrigation. Roses in flood irrigation areas live at least twice as long. Water is crucial for roses and flooding the root zone will flush the salts from fertilizers, soil and water so it isn't so toxic. At this point, are the roses 50% dead? If more, there's a good chance you won't be able to save them. Erecting temporary afternoon shade and deep-watering thru the end of September may help if the damage is less than 40%. Only use a slow-release fertilizer, like Osmacote, or 1/2 strength labeled organic rose food every 6 weeks when it's hot. Do not use any liquid fertilizers. Even minimal amounts of fast-acting fertilizer can further stress the bushes. Remove any gravel or rock from near the bushes. Mulch with a forest product which is much cooler because it doesn't reflect light nor hold heat. Some growing environs make it tougher for roses to withstand Phoenix heat... roses catching afternoon reflections from swimming pools, west-facing block walls, gravel-scapes, nearby trees and vines. Some roses tolerate heat better than others. You don't say which varieties you have but whites and mauves tend to give up faster than reds and yellows. Late-season bare-roots (bare-root roses planted after Feb 15) and roses planted without additional soil amendments will also succumb faster as their root systems may not have matured sufficiently to withstand the higher soil temps. The local rose society meetings will all have September programs about 'resuscitating roses'. These meetings are free and open to the public and you may choose to join a society for about the cost of a rose bush. Glendale meets Sept 1 at the Glendale Women's Club, Mesa meets Sept 8 at Mesa Comm Coll, West Valley(Peoria) meets at LandscapeMart Sept 13, Scottsdale meets at Eldorado Park Comm Ctr Sept 14 and Phoenix meets at the Valley Garden Center Sept 20. Each society has a website plus we will be at the Fall Home & Garden Show at the end of Sept and at Southwest Gardener on Oct 8th.

Wonder if you ever found out the problem with your blueberries. It might be that the location may be too hot. I find that part shade [dappled] to full shade seems to work the best for the blueberries. Blueberry leaves will fry in the full sun here in our desert climate. Make sure that they are planted in very composted and acid type soil. Water several times a week. I also provide overhead spray for humidity.

I've looked at the pictures and see some things you can change to improve the health of the rose bush, besides taking care of the borer damage. This rose is sitting in a rock mulch. Roses should be mulched with a forest-based product which neither reflects sunlight nor retains heat. Most of that damage is sunburn. I see another plant nearby. Roots from both the rose and that plant will compete for the same water and nutrients. Did you fertilize your rose over the summer? Fertilizers should be applied full-strength only during the active fall and spring growing seasons. Using 1/2 or 1/4 strength in the summer is advisable. Cut out the dead canes clean to the graft, no stumpy things or nubs. Some of those pruning cuts have aged out the cane. A rose will only grow three canes from the same spot before it kills off that bud eye. As always, there may be an exception to that rule but most of the time, you'll find a cane trying to grow out of 1/4 nub. You can contact me if you have any questions. Jeannie Cochell, Master Consulting Rosarian, Phoenix Rose Society