Question
QUESTION: Lynnette  
Please help! I planted 13 bare root roses Feb 13th, and no sign of any growth yet, no leaved, no buds? How long until I should see some new growth??
ANSWER: Bare roots will not die. It depends where you are gardening. If it is in a cold winter zone and the weather hasn't warmed up, then you shouldn't expect to see any growth on the roses. If you are gardening in a warm climate, it still isn't too unusual for the plants to not break dormancy. Just keep watering so that the soil is always moist but not wet. If you are still worried about the plants as to whether or not they are dead or alive. Take your finger nail and scratch along side one of the canes. If when you get rid of the brown outer covering you should see green underneath. That means they are alive and well. If the colour is still brown like the other covering, start cutting them back until you get to the green colour in the canes. You can cut right down to 2 inches and still have a nice bush this summer so don't be concerned. I would give the bare roots another two weeks as usually a bare roots breaks out in a couple of weeks after the weather has warmed up. Hope this helps.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: 12 of these 13 roses still show no signs of life - few still are green, many are brown. But they seem to be alive - I've cut back to where it seems to look green and "bendy" they do not break off as f they are dead. I've ordered additional roses to replace these - we'll see if they spark any growth. You are sure, Lynette they won't die?

Answer
As I can't see the rose bushes I can only go by  your description which sounds very accurate to me. If the canes have a green look to them they there is still hope they will break out. The brown colour is not a good sign but again if the inside of the canes is not brown then they could still grow. Often when a rose has not been stored correctly over the winter, then that can cause problems like you describe. I honestly wouldn't give up but if you don't want them in the garden because they look sad then you could pot them up.