The best time to plant bare-root roses is as soon as you receive them. If you cannot plant immediately, examine their roots and spritz them if dry. Store them no more than 2-3 days in a dark environment with temperatures between 33°F and 35°F. If exposed to warm temperatures or light, the wood canes will dry out and break dormancy prematurely. An early frost will sabotage and burn any new foliage.
Soak the whole plant in a bucket of water (rehydrating both the roots and the canes) for 8-12 hours, no more than 24 hours total. Please keep them in water until you place them in their planting hole.
Find a full sun spot that gets at least 6-8 hours per day and has a growing support to reach a height of up to 12 feet tall. Dig the planting hole twice as wide, making a cone shape in the middle for the roots to rest. If you have hard clay soil, use a pitchfork and score and punch small holes in the sides to make ruts for the roots to grow and adapt. The bud union should sit right at or below the soil level to a depth of 2" depending on whether you are in a colder northern climate or southern states.
Add root hormone to the hole and around the soil cone. Place the roots equally around the soil cone and down the sides. Then water holding onto the canes with one hand. Let the water drain and then add back soil mixed with compost and soil amendments into the natural soil with the other hand. Then, tamp the soil down with your hands and add mulch around the plant. Then water the surface again.
If your graft union is above the ground, cover it with loose soil to prevent dehydration during the first few weeks. This covering will also encourage maximum bud break. Mound the soil over the canes to a depth of about 8-10 inches. Leave the soil in place for about 2-3 weeks or until the new growth starts. When you see foliage begin, gently spread the soil or wash it away and don't disturb any new growth. You will only do this soil mound during planting and not every year.