Cindi, what I meant was that roses that are sold and shipped in pots still have their feeder roots intact when they are planted will be better prepared for warm weather than roses sold as bare root. Bare root roses need some weeks in the ground in order to begin setting feeder roots.
As an example: I moved two "Rise and Shine" roses early in May. Both I carefully dug out of the ground, trying to keep the root ball intact. In the process of moving them, one fell onto the ground and the dirt ball around the roots shattered. I planted both, watered them in well. The one that I didn't drop just went on growing like nothing happened. The one I did drop, lost most of its leaves. Fearing that it was going to die, I pruned away all the wood except for one central branch that had not started to yellow. Now, six weeks later it is growing well, but it is still a third the size of the other one. My interpretation is that the drop tore up the feeder roots. Bare root roses endure the same fate when they are ripped out of the ground. Putting them into the ground when the soil is cool and the air is cold allows for the roots to get ready to take up water as it warms up.
My practice is to take delivery of bare root roses in early or mid March and to take delivery of leafed-out roses in pots in late April. This gives bare root roses four to eight weeks in the ground before they set leaves. And they are much much happier for it.
