Roses

I put down 6 rose bushes this year. I find that the lower stems are not leafy, but just thorny.
Should I prune them down to the bottom?
I do fertilize with 'rose food' every 2 weeks and water about the same every two weeks.
What is wrong with my roses?

Joy, I don't know much about roses. I usually wind up with brown spot and a half dead looking plant. If no one here is able to help you, perhaps the Rose Forum can... http://davesgarden.com/forums/f/roses/all/

Joy, The rose forum has unbelievable experts. I'm pretty new to roses, but, what kind of roses are they? Hybrid tea roses do this more than rugosa roses, etc.
But I don't think its uncommon for beautiful roses to be fairly ugly plants. You may plant something to hide their "legs"
Dave