Planting roses in/just after rain

[MillieJoan]

I'm not a rose gardener, but I'm writing a book in which one of my characters is. In the story, it has been raining on and off for several days, and the roses he is going to plant have just been delivered. Would it be realistic for him to decide he needs to wait for the soil to dry out before planting? I've Googled this, but results were conflicting. Thank you!

[imafan26]

Roses should be taken out and the roots soaked for 24 hours before planting. If it is still raining and the rose is not likely to be able to plant for a couple of weeks then plant it in a pot until the weather is better or it can be heeled in in a greenhouse until then
As long as the planting hole is prepared and well drained roses can still be planted out, but you will have to start a preventive fungicide spray program as long as it keeps raining.

So your character can soak the rose for 24 hours and see if there is a break in the weather
or plant the rose in well drained soil and fungicide (copper sulfate) preventively
OR decide to heel it in the greenhouse or pot it up and keep it in a greenhouse until the weather is better.

Bareroot roses are usually only shipped by catalog companies at the time of year they should be planted. Late fall through winter. In frosty areas it should be planted after the last hard frost. Potted roses can be shipped other times of the year (not to me in Hawaii).

[MillieJoan]

Thank you so much for your informative response!

[applestar]

So, give us a sample of what you wrote?