Sue Kreutzer wrote:

I'm new to rose tending, yet the home I now own must have at least 15
separate ones, both climbing and bushes.

Congratulations on your good taste in homes, or at least landscaping!
You'll love your roses.



I was here last year in the Fall
and noted they didn't seem as healthy as I thought they should be. In
fact, some of the leaves looked down right 'sick'. [..]I'm in northern
Colorado, on the eastern plains. Thanks.

Sue--there is a book you can find in Lowe's or Home Depot or the big box
book stores called "All About Roses," by Ortho, the chemical/garden supply
company. It is simple and straightforward in its descriptions of the
several fungal diseases and insect pests most likely to plague roses. It
does not have a chem/anti-chem agenda--it just describes, with good
illustrations and photos. I recommend you pick this up--or go by your
local library and look at rose books. I don't know your area--but most
foliage problems are fungal problems. There are various solutions. FWIW
most rose foliage looks crappy in the fall, which I suspect is why many
folks defoliate them at that time. (They say it is to keep extant fungal
disease from overwintering.)

Don't you want to post photos of your blooms so we can all guess what you
have??! Have you checked for the metal tags around the base of the canes?
Do tell!