1. Dig out a hole that is slightly wider, but about as deep as the roses root ball. This will generally be about 15–18 inches deep x 18–24 inches wide.
2. Mix a handful of bone meal or superphosphate into the soil you removed from the hole and save it for refilling the hole, once the rose is planted.. This will help the rose bush acclimate to its new home. Don’t feed with anything else at planting time. You want the roots to take hold, before the top start sending out a lot of new growth.
3. If your rose came in a container, gently remove it from the pot and loosen the roots a bit.
4. If your rose is bare root, soak the roots for about an hour, before planting.
5. Make a mound in the center of the hole, with the soil and superphospate mix. Make the mound high enough so that when you place the rose bush on top of it, the knobby graft union is barely below soil level. When the plant settles, the graft union should be fully buried, about 1 inch under ground.
6. Gardeners in warm climates may prefer to leave the bud union above ground, since there is little chance of frost damage. You can bury the graft no matter where you are gardening, but there is a chance that sprouts will from the root stock, resulting in a plant different from the one grafted on top.
7. Spread the roots down the sides of the mound. Begin filling in with the soil and superphospate, keeping the roots as spread as possible. Water the soil when the hole is just about filled, to help settle it in. Continue filling the hole and gently pat down.
8. Water deeply and apply 1–2 inches of mulch. Water at least once per week.