You can plant them right into the ground with no problem. In zone 6 it's suggested that you plant the bud union 4 to 6 inches below the soil. That should give them plenty of winter protection.

What state you live in? That zip code is coming up
zone 7A on the hardiness map I used...
If this is so 4"-6" would be too deep...

Agreed, Jim! But you still might want to go a couple of inches below ground for winter assurance.

I'm on the tn/ky border and live on fort Campbell, ky. I'm far enough from Nashville (60 miles) to have different weather. I commute to work and it can be cold and sunny in Nashville and snowing at fort Campbell.

If (?) this is the zip code (42223) the roses are planted in it's coming up zone 7a on two different hardiness maps.
I'm in zone 5b-6a right on the line so conditions are different here.

You could contact a Rose Society in your area and ask them how deep to plant the bud union in your exact area.
I can only guess...

This post was edited by jim1961 on Sun, Apr 7, 13 at 20:49

Zone 7a it is then! I got confused with micro climates I guess.

Yes I have heard of being in one location and the weather being quite different just a few miles away...
Right now here our roses only have swelled buds...
I will be happy to just see leaves come on them...lol

Here is a link that might be useful: Rose Societies in your area: