Question
this morning i had beautiful buds just starting to open - 4 colors - i looked outside this afternoon and all the buds are gone...i do have rose petals on the ground from ones that were open -- only the buds even the ones that were not opening...no leaves are disturbed or damaged-buds were definitly eaten right from the base of the bud - saw foot prints - we do not have any deer in this area- please help - do you have any idea what couls have done this or how do i protect them from this happening again...i live in southern new jersey about 15 minutes out of philadelphia,pa ...sorry not sure what zone that is ..thank you

Answer
It certainly sounds like your roses were eaten by a rabbit. When deer eat roses and the buds they leave no mess but rabbits do. You will see bits and pieces of the rose petals  near the rose bush. The only way to keep these pests away from eating anything is to cage it. Because rabbits dig the cage should be about 8 inches below the ground and over 12 inches high say abut 18 inches. Rabbits won't climb so there is no need to go any higher. Use small mesh chicken wire and thread a couple of stakes through it to hold the cage secure. There are variations on the cages in regards to the wire but just as long as the rabbits can't get at the first 12 inches of the roses then it will do.