Question
What would cause our red roses to turn brown before
they are completely open.  

Answer
get to a local garden center/nursery. buy an inexpensive book(sunset, ortho, etc.) on rose care & quiz them on rose care in your area while there. take a sample of the brown rose w/stem and a few leaves in a plastic bag for them to examine.
the timing of what needs to be done to your roses depends on where you live. also what is wrong with it now(turning brown before it opens) could be caused by many things(insects, sunscortch, improper watering, disease, etc.). i'm in southern NJ.
older bush roses should have been pruned back to about 18-24" from the ground in late winter.  older canes as well as dead ones should have been removed at their base. flowers develop better on new canes. fertilize twice a year(early spring-now & late spring(june-july). during the summer remove flowers after they start to fade by pruning back to the 1st 5-leaf branch or below. new red growth(flower production) will appear soon from this spot. in late fall cut the bushes back 1/2 way to help prevent winter storm damage.
do not get water on the foliage or flowers when watering.
there are many type roses so care also depends on which type you have - grandiflora, hybrid tea, floribunda, miniature, climber, old english, hedge, groundcover, etc.
good luck
rick
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