Not really into roses but I have a few. I think fertilizing or over fertilizing new plants is a major source of failures. They need to struggle for some time in order to develop a good root system. With permanent plants such as roses or peonies, I dig the hole deeper than necessary and put in some balanced fertilizer such as MG, cover it with several inches of soil, then insert the plant. The plant must form roots before it can absorb the nutrients and it gives the fertilizer time to "mellow out". Irises are left unfed for about 6 weeks until they develop a healthy beginning leaf growth and then given a good shot of MG foliar feed which also sinks into the soil. Miracle Grow, in it's different compositions, is the best type of fertilizer due to the trace nutrients all plants need. The NPK of dry fertilizers is not so efficient without the trace elements. There are plenty of other brands out there--you just need to check the labels for ingredients. MG just happens to be the one most available.
