My Ardoisee de Lyon does the same thing. I'm not convinced it is anything special.

Some roses will abort buds under some weather conditions. I haven't seen a persuasive explanation.

Some of my polyanthas do that--it was a minor problem on Bloomfield Abundance (similar to Cecile Brunner) and on my Fairy's and Martha's Vineyard. There doesn't seem to be any real impact on the plant or its blooming--just hate to see the little buds dry up, though.

Here are a few pics.

Cass, that's comforting to hear from another person that grows her.

Michael, I was thinking maybe it didn't get enough water? We haven't been dry, but we had a wet Spring that set up to many buds possibly?

Prairie, look at the pictures and tell me if they look the same.

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Nope, doesn't look like what happens to mine--mine never get near that stage of development, they simply stay tiny, turn yellow, and break off at the abcission point within a cluster of other buds. Yours, gosh--botrytis blight from the rain, maybe? I also see tiny white buggy-looking things--whiteflies?

I have seen this happening to some of my roses - some albas and William Shakespeare 2000. I have no idea whats causing it - as a working diagnosis I call it - bud abortion.

The tiny bugs on the buds are dead aphids or the skins aphids have shed. And the small white dots on the leaves are caused by leafhoppers.

Hmm. That's a little further along than what I see. Did you check some dying buds and peduncles for curculio damage?

Thanks for the additional responses. I have not checked for curculio damage. I'll have to go school myself on these critters :)

Eric

Looks like Botrytis petal blight (balling) has prevented the bud from opening, so it rots and the rot spreads to the peduncle. This disease spreads in cool wet weather, as prairie-rose says. It is difficult to control. In my climate, highly susceptible roses need to meet Mr. Shovel.

The type of bud abortion I referred to above happens to polyanthas and others before the sepals split.

Thanks Michael. This is only the 2nd year in my garden and it picked a really wet Spring to have its first blooms. The blooms I have had are great, so I'll give it some more time.

Now my climbing Clothilde Soupert on the other hand, she's taking balling to a "whole nuva leva."

Eric

Eric, cutting off those damaged buds to clean new growth would be a very good idea, and picking up any from the ground below, and sealing them in a bag and throwing them in the garbage. Do you mulch? Adding a few inches of clean mulch below the roses before next year's bloom would be a good idea, too. There's some debate about whether or not disease spores can survive over the winter, but my view is that they have to come from somewhere, and it might as well not be the planting beds.
Anita