Most mail order sellers know how to pack their roses really well, and I have never had any arrive in sad condition. If they do come that way, I would, if they are tiny, first put them in small pots and let them settle in, before moving them to the ground. It's easier to give them tender loving care in the pots, and you can move them around for better sunlight. Once they revive and start showing new growth, move them to the ground in their final location.

Keep them well watered when they arrive and keep them in a location that is sheltered from the hot, intense sun for a few days, until they have perked up. You can pot up for a time, but since you are in zone 5-6 (I don't know where in zone 5-6) keep in mind how much time you need to get them in the ground to grow a decent root system before winter hits. Will they stay in pots? Or are they going in the ground?
Be extra careful when you do repot or plant in the ground, not to disturb the fragile root systems.

Nearly all of my 400+ roses have arrived as email-order bands. All have arrived in good condition and, with a few "too young to have been shipped" exceptions, most have good root systems. Mine go directly into the ground so they can establish themselves before winter comes. For those in full sun, I will set up an afternoon shade device (old umbrella, length of plywood, etc) for the worst of he summer heat.

I'm with catsrose, get 'em in the ground, water them well, offer some shade in the hot times. You will be surprised how well they do!

This was the first year for me buying bare root the mail. I ordered from Palantine and those roses have done great. I would not hesitate to buy this wat again

For potted roses, I keep them in the shade for a few days to a week after they arrive. That gives them some time to recover from shipping. Water them right away when you get them and then check their water needs every day or two. How much water they need depends as much on their root system as it does on the size of the pot. Don't worry if they look a little sad or diseased as that should go away once they're out in the sunlight again. After a week I plant them in the ground so they have time to get established before winter. If they're really tiny they might need a cage so they don't get eaten or stepped on. Keep them watered but don't fertilize the first year.

Usually I pot my bands in gallon pots. This year I tried a few in the ground right away. They have done great - I think better than the potted ones. Problem is, I dont always have the beds ready when the roses come, but my opinion is they do better in ground. My Roses Unlimited order came today - I do have beds ready for those and happen to have some cheapie beach umbrellas so am going to stick those in the beds for the first week or so....to shade and protect while they are getting established.

Thank you for all the great suggestions!

I plant bands right in the ground also. If you have rabbits running around you may want to put a cage around it to keep it safe. ;-)

Nope, you guys missed a VERY important step. The very first thing you do with new mail order bands after taking them out of the shipping box and taking off any shipping paraphenalia is to fill a garbage can to the point where the water will completely cover the whole plant and to submerge it for 30 minutes to an hour. The point here is to kill any critters that came with your plants, especially of the spider mite variety. It also rehydrates everything that dried out during shipping. Then I keep them in the band pots in the shade for a couple of days and then, when I have time, I pot them up to one gallon pots. No fertilizer in the one gallon pots until you see they are established and growing well.

Great point! I soak mine for a day, bands or bare roots, with a few drops of bleach in the water, and the same (not too much, you will shock them) of Superthrive. Superthrive has saved many a stressed planted, the trick is less is more.

Now you have handled critters AND Vitamin deficiencies.

Beth