VX muttered:

About three weeks ago I planted a number of bare-rooted shrub roses. A number
of them, namely Roseraie de l'Hay, R. Rubiginosa, Blanc Double de Coubert and
Rosa Hansa went into my back garden while a large number of Rosa Rugosa alba
went into the front along the very front edge parallel with the pavement but
set back about 12-18" to form a hedge. The front and back gardens are quite
different environments it seems (I've only been here 2 months so I'm still
finding out) and while the back stays fairly moist, the front in comparison
does seem like it dries out quicker. There is a slight slope to the land
with the front garden's front edge being at the highest point, so that may be
a factor also. All the roses inthe back that i planted are showing signs of
life, although the different varieties are doing it at different rates. But
none of the Rugosa Albas in the front are showing any sign of life at all. I
assumed that the rain we've been having has been enough to keep all of these
roses happy but its possible that i was over-optimistic about the front
garden. So I'm now wondering if the Ruosa Albas might simply have dried out
and died. Can anyone offer an opinion or hazard a guess at this and suggest
whether the total lack of signs of life of the Rugosa Albas in the front
garden relative to all the others in the back garden (some of which are also
Rugosa varieties) could mean/probably does mean that they are no longer
alive? I need to make a decision quickly because I can order some more (and
make sure they get enough water this time) but it needs to be within a day or
so before its too late (stocking issues, time of year, etc). Any suggestions
would ne helpful!

Break off a stick and if it's not greenish they've died. Surprising though,
I've seen massive bushes of them growing close to a windy beach in Sweden
and thought they were really tough.