A wooden box, a bucket, or large polythene bag will usually hold enough soil for this purpose. If it is still not convenient to plant them, the roses should be 'heeled in', out of doors the moment the weather permits. Preparation of Ground Ground should be prepared if possible well in advance, dug deeply and dressed with well rotted farm yard manure, compost or some other organic material and bone meal. Never use fresh manure and never allow any sort of manure to come into contact with the roots when planting. If you are replacing roses with new roses you must change the soil, sterilise it or give it at least two complete season's rest from roses before re-planting.
Planting Dig a hole large enough to accommodate all the roots without cramping.
Replace the soil in two or three stages, treading firmly with the heel each time. Top dress with bone meal or rose fertiliser. There are no hard and fast rules as regards the pruning of shrub and old fashioned roses. In the first year it is good policy to prune them, including climbers and ramblers, to about 6 inches from the ground after planting. This will have advantages in later years by the encouragement on basal growth at an early stage and help avoid them developing into 'leggy' plants.