I like to plant them as deep as possible without covering up a significant portion of the existing leaves. The idea being that the more stem that gets buried the more surface area from which new roots can grow. If the plant looks really healthy and bushy I'll even strip some of the lower leaves off just to get more of the canes below the soil surface.

I know there are varying schools of though regarding proper planting depth for well-developed grafted plants when burying them deeply can put the bulk of the root mass down into virtually sterile soil which may inhibit nutrient uptake, but I think that for small own root plants with shallow, just developing root systems this issue shouldn't be a concern.

I still go by what retired own root rose nursery (the old and much missed Great Lakes Roses) owner and rosarian Nancy Lindley told me: remove the bottom leaves and plant deeply - several inches lower than in the pot - to create a better root structure on a sturdy, long lived plant. Fast growth if you plant same as the level in the pot? Perhaps, but I want a rose to be around for decades and I can be patient to achieve that. I always planted Nancy's roses just as Nancy said and they all grew well into fine, mature specimens.

Thank you. I actually had to plant early this am and I planted them deep because of our winter's. I will go out and snip off the bottom leaves. Thank you!

I plant own roots 1-2" deeper then they were in the pot...

I think correct planting depth is dependent on where you garden. In my garden (Tuscany, Italy,about a zone 8) deep planting has proved an awful mistake.The plant "suffocates",a few of the deeply buried canes start trying to"go own root",and the original plant just languishes. But in cold areas the issues are different, I think.

I plant grafted roses deeper here. But that's to help through the winter. Was not sure how deep to plant an own root though? I would think the other thing to consider is what kind of soil you are planting in. If you have very loose loamy soil; I would not see the harm in planting deep. Because the growth could push out of soil easier, more oxygen in the ground, etc. But if you have heavy clay, wouldn't there be the possibility of suffocating the plant or having it struggle in a heavy compressed soil. These are just things I've pondered while reading about planting depth questions on this forum. I only thought the advice was to plant deeper in colder zones. Fortunately, I have pretty loamy soil. There is some areas with a bit more sandy structure, but compost is helping with that. Good luck with your new plants!