The black poop things look like caterpillar poop. Caterpillars are best controlled by hand picking (wear gloves) or by spraying BT, which won't harm anything except caterpillars. BT can be sprayed on food, so it's quite safe, and will not harm bees or beneficial insects. They look a little sunburnt to me, but relatively okay otherwise. Best to stick your fingers around in the soil and see if it is moist enough. If the soil feels cool to your fingers, then there is some moisture in the soil (not necessarily enough, but some). At the same time, don't drown them (soil is pure mud). Some of those seem planted a little close to the home. A rose can get 5 or 6 feet wide--my Belinda's Dreams are wider than that. If a plant gets 6 feet wide, then it needs to be planted at least 3 feet from the house--more being better, so a person can get between it and the house if necessary for maintenance to the home (or plant). I would hold off on fertilizer until the plants are a little more established, since they are a bit toasted. Your weather is already warm, which can be stressful for a small young plant trying to establish itself. If the temperatures really shoot up in the next few weeks, some temporary shade will reduce stress.

I just added Drift to my collection of roses last year. I've been growing Flower Carpet roses for over 12 years and I've been really happy with them. Most of the varieties Flower Carpet that I have bloom almost nonstop from about the end of June through our first few frosts. The ones that seem to be the most full in our area are Scarlet and Pink Supreme but I also love Coral and Appleblossom even though they don't get as big. From what I can tell after the first year of having Drift roses is that they are considerably smaller roses - both the flower and the shrubs themselves - but I guess that makes sense because I think that they're promoted as being for smaller spaces. I have mine tucked in some spots between the Flower Carpets where I needed filler.

Deer leave ragged ends on branches they browse. Good video showing this close up http://tinyurl.com/qc4hqqf (go to full screen for detail). Bunnies can only reach as high as they can stand on their hind legs, and are apt to leave a mess of torn leaves, stems & flowers strewn about. But they can jump to higher areas (porches, chairs) & nibble plants from above. Never noticed squirrels munching plants, but they get plenty of tidbits from bird feeder scatter. Our house sits in a clearing surrounded by woodlands, so somebody seems awake at any hour of the day or night scouting for supper. Aromatic plants like lavender & beebalm guard the borders near roses & floppy plants that obscure sure footing cover any bare ground around perennials, many of which are deer resistant, but nothing is deer proof. Have to fence the garden phlox when it buds, since deer have climbed the steps & gobbled down the blooms from the porch. Apparently, that's irresistible. They haven't bothered the hydrangeas, apart from sampling a leaf or two over the years, but in my son's garden miles away they browse his to stubs & bypass the Peace rose surrounded by lavender. Sedum Autumn Joy is a big draw for the fleshy leaves, so I leave the old stems poking out till getting around to caging them before the foliage outgrows their deterrence. Typically it's a curious young buck that comes exploring the flowers on his lonesome around here. Several small deer families graze on the back lawn & rest on the edge of the woods, but they seldom bother the plantings unless it's a hard season. Haven't noticed any damage from other woodland neighbors, though the turtles will clean up fresh fallen rose petals & help themselves to a few viola blooms. In the years I find heliotrope to grow in the porch boxes, a hedgehog couple can often be glimpsed sitting quietly next to them, apparently enjoying the fragrance as much as we do, without disturbing a petal.

That's very frustrating, Beth! If the missing bud is the stem in front of the white trellis upright on the right side, a rodent ate it. The one held in your fingers appears to have been eaten by a grasshopper or Katydid. It's relatively easy to determine what has eaten a plant. If the stem is gnawed off at a 45 degree angle, a rodent at it. This damage very much resembles your traditional pruning at 45 degree angles. Their teeth meet at that angle and their damage is characteristically that shape. This could be rats, mice, squirrels, rabbits, etc. If the damage appears to be ripped off, it's likely deer, horse, cow, etc. They "chomp" and rip. If it's chewed off like the bud you're holding, it's an insect like grasshoppers, Katydids, caterpillars, etc. Might there be any bug poop around? It looks like little, dark pills, almost like pin heads. Don't believe there is no way for a squirrel or rat to get up there. They climb VERY efficiently, right up the stems or trellis. You would be amazed what they can get in to easily and quietly. For the bug damage, there are many insecticides around, from "thermonuclear" types to organics, and are readily available at your local home improvement or garden center outlets. Just make sure they list the insects mentioned above as ones against which they are effective. Rodents are quite a bit more difficult to deal with. Most often, the only way to protect the buds and plants is to put wire cages around them so they can't chew through and eat the plants and flowers. It's a "lot of fun", I know. I battle them all with my roses out back. Something has even found the front walled garden where I hoped my rose hips were safe. Nope. Some bugger has found them and ate them as quickly as I could harvest them. Welcome to gardening! Good luck. Kim