John is right about the white exudate being unique to Norway maples, but you usually have to wait until early summer for it to be apparent - too early now. Another easy identification: The wings on the fruits(samaras)of Norway maples diverge from each other at a very wide angle. In other maples the angle is much more acute. The bark is also distinctive on mature Norway maples: very dark gray broken into interlacing vertical furrows.

I agree with the above - WATER is the most important right now - they somehow survived our hot dry summer, but as you said are not happy. When it really starts raining a lot, you do not have to keep watering, but until then I would. Other comments: 1) If you are going to prune them, first take off any dead wood (stuff which is brown, brittle). Then DO NOT take off more than 1/3rd of the (live part) bush at most. 2) WEED any weeds or other plants which are within 20 inches of the base of each rose. 3) GET RID of the rock mulch - that makes them hotter. Replace it with mulch or compost (you can buy it at any nursery) - about 2 inches deep, over the same 20 inch space you weeded. Make sure that the mulch is at least 2 inches away from the base of the rose. 4) Put some granular rose fertilizer over the mulch, and water it in. DO NOT use anything called 2 in 1, or 3 in 1, etc. - they contain poisons which kill bees which you do not need. Make sure it is ONLY rose food. Then you have to WAIT - the roses may not bloom until next March-April, or some may. When they do, take pictures to post on here. Post pictures not just of individual blooms, but of the whole bush, the leaves, the rose buds, and the rose hips, if you have any. That will make it easier for folks to identify. So fun to inherit roses! When my DH and I moved into our house 27 years ago, we inherited lots of roses - I have had a wonderful time finding out who they all were. Jackie

KJM - in answer to your question, yes it's totally normal to need to cut the canes way down and we celebrate if there's any green cane left, even an inch or two, in cold zones. Winter protection is a personal choice and to some extent varies by the part of the country you live in. Apparently the east coast is much moister in the winter than in my parts of the world, so you'd have to be really careful that any protection methods don't hold moisture in around the rose. Those styrofoam rose cones they sell are totally the worst in just about any climate. Fortunately, the cold parts of the east coast also get plenty of snow and that is by far the best winter protection for your rose (yes it's wet but it dries naturally when it melts with good air circulation). We had some extended periods of brutally cold below zero temperatures this year and I'm finding somewhat better than average surviving cane below the snow line - OK, it's only 2 inches but that's better than the nothing we usually get with snowless bitter cold periods. A usually safe winter protection method is to put a wind break around the roses that doesn't actually touch the canes themselves. I stack filled leaf bags around the edges of roses or beds that are particularly sensitive and it helps. Many folks don't winter protect at all, and for the most part the roses that are going to die or lose canes will do so regardless of what we do. Don't take it personally - find roses that work well for you in your region and don't fret over the roses that don't do well in your yard for one reason or another (I'm trying to follow that advice myself too - smile). Happy to help. Cynthia

I see this quite a lot in Garden Centers here in the UK They are bare rooted crowns packed in dry peat in a plastic bag with a cardboard cover complete with picture of a huge mature plant. Sold from autumn onwards they hang on racks inside the centre, normally some sort of glasshouse structure. Come the spring things warm up and they start to sprout. Caught early enough and potted up, following Ken's advice they soon look normal. I wonder how many of these unsold packets end up in bins each year! Dave