Tisha, I am going to throw in my two cents.
I think it depends on how you do your transplanting - with soil around the root ball or as a bare root. I have had success with both methods. If it is during the growing season, I try and keep as much soil around the root ball as possible. Here in my zone, I transplant as a bare root towards the end of October and have never lost a rose. IMO not doing it too late is the key with the bare root method - you want the rose to start new roots before the cold hits. End of October is also the time the vendors here start sending out their bare root roses.
