Well, Steve, you can do what Mike did for his parents and dig massive holes to replace the crappy soil w/good soil. I did that with a few roses that I wanted to make sure had the best possible chance of surviving (two I got from England.. Doris Tysterman
http://www.helpmefind.com/rose... and Summer Holiday
http://www.helpmefind.com/rose...). Also, are you planting them deep enough? I've found that, now that I've buried everyone in mulch, I had much less mortalities than when I didn't bury them deep AND mulch the crap out of them. Right now is the best time to dig.. soil soft and weather nice enough to work outside! Plus it makes digging dead roses out a breeze.. I've found that when they're dead, they pull out of the ground super easy. Just end up getting stabbed with the thorns...
