Planting a rose plant goes beyond how deep the hole should be and if fertilizer should be used now or later.  The first and an important step in rose planting that should not be overlooked is picking the location of where you are going to plant your roses.  It is as true in planting as it is in real estate; location, location, location.  There are several things that need to be considered when choosing a location for our rose plants.

Will the place you care choosing to plant your roses get enough sunlight?  The majority of rose species should have at least six hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight a day.  Even rose plants that are shade tolerant need about four to six hours of direct sunlight to do well.

Is the soil where you plan to plant your roses healthy?  Roses are hungry eaters and need have nutritious soil.  They do not like soil that has too much clay or too much sand.  A quick test you can do with your soil to find out if it has too much clay or sand is to clump it in your hand.  If the soil holds the mold and does not crumble easily, it has too much clay.  If the soil crumbles too easily and does not hold the mold, it has too much sand.  God soil should hold the mold in your hand but crumble easily.  The soil should also not be too acidic, contain too much limestone or too much chalk.

And finally, is the place where you are going to plant your rose plant too close to trees or other plants?  There are many trees and other larger plants that will extract water and nutrients from the soil from roots that extend far beyond their drip line.  If you encounter a lot of roots where you are digging your hole for your rose bush, most likely these roots are going to cause a problem for your plant.  There are some climbing rose and some shrubs that are an exception but most rose plants only like to be mixed with other roses or other non-invasive plants.

Now that you have the perfect location for your rose plant, you can think about the basics such as how deep the hole should be.  You will need to dig a hole that is slightly larger than the size of the pot the plant is in or root system of the plant.  The depth of the hole depends on the climate that you live in.  Colder areas need to plant their roses slightly deeper.  It is a good idea to talk to other rose grower in the area as to which is the proper depth for you.  Depths may be different for lots of different people but, everyone can benefit from loosening the soil at the bottom of the hole.  You can also place some compost in the bottom of the hole plus a sprinkle of bone meal which is a source of Phosphorus and is slow acting and encourages healthy root growth.  Spread out the roots slightly after you place the plant into the hole.  Refill the hole and make sure that the soil settles around the roots.  Water the roots before you cover them with the last couple of inches of soil.  And finally place the last of the soil back into the hole and firm the soil slightly.  You can water the plant at this step also.