Several on-line vendors sell potted roses (Ashdown, Chamblees, ARE, Countryside are a few). The shipping cost is high -- you've gotta pay to ship a gallon of soil -- but you'll get much nicer roses than at a box store.

Alina, that makes me feel a little bit better - I had not heard of covering them after planting. I thought the ones that were covering with lawnchairs and laundry baskets were doing so to protect from sunburn. I missed the part about covering the canes to hold moisture... I'm going to move my pots to the shade when I go home at lunch break, and cover them with white garbage bags with holes poked in them. I hope that won't bake them. Yes these are the Parks roses. I have one Iceberg with a sprig of new growth, and one Climbing Crimson Sky that is budding out. The others are still dormant. I've had them a couple of weeks. When I scratch at the bark on the canes, they are still green, so maybe I haven't killed them yet... Jeri in Texas

I found this on Piviones Riviere's website. WHAT IS THE BEST PERIOD TO PLANT ? How do you plant a peony? To obtain the best results in peony cultivation, pay very special attention to the planting process. *Planting bare roots should be done between September and mid-March. *It is better to plant peonies in the autumn so that the root system can grow before the leaves come out. *Planting can be done during the winter period even with frost during the night as long as it disappears during the daytime. *After March, due to the growing of leaves and vegetation, it is not recommended to plant bare root peonies. *If you want to plant later, we offer cultivated plants in containers that you can buy either from our nursery or at the flower shows we go to. *Tip : In case of frost when you receive our plants, place the parcel in a cool area  a cellar or a garage - and open the parcel. The individually packed plants can remain for a month in their packaging without any harm.

Rifis, I'm happy and relieved to hear you say you plant roses in holes with no native soil with success. I've planted all of my roses that way. I know it's not recommended. For roses that I know prefer alkaline soil, I will mix in a shovelful or two of my soil. if I remember to. My soil is hard rocky pale gray alkaline clay that is like glue when wet and like talcum powder when dry. I could envision it forming concrete around the delicate roots. I use compost, a little vermiculite and rose food mixed together then fill the 2'x2' hole. My compost is not the super rich home made kind. I get a truck load of plant based compost every couple years, so I doubt it's as nutrient rich as homemade. I have planted roses in just my native soil, and none have survived. I can't imagine a root penetrating this soil when my husband needs a pick axe to dig holes. However, weeds seem to manage it quite well. I always scruff up the sides of the holes with a claw so it isn't slick like a pot. Thinking back, I have stuck cuttings from pruning directly in the ground and had them take. (John Davis and Roseraie de l'Hay). Wi-Fi, the same thing has happen to me. The soil level can sink after watering (or rain) and I have had to dig them up and replant. I plant grafted/budded roses with the graft union at least 4" deep for my cold zone. If I water as I'm filling the hole with planting medium and let it soak in before adding more planting medium, and keep repeating that, there is less chance of it sinking with one major watering when I'm finished, and I know the water has gone all the way to the bottom of the hole. I hope your rain lets up and you can get back to normal gardening soon. It's a wet year for many. Your Queen of Sweden looks healthy and happy.