Jim S.asked:

... Why
do we avoid one that's broken dormancy? I've apparently guessed this all
wrong-- I 've been looking for ones with bud eyes all over them, thinking
they must be really strong specimins to be thriving in spite of how they've
been treated. So I have been looking for packs that are "rarin' to go".
What's wrong about that assumption?

Fully dormant is a good thing when it comes to bare root rose plants.

Having lots of bulging bud eyes is also a good thing. But actual
leaf buds over 1/4 to 1/2 inch long indicate the presence of fine
white 'root hairs' forming from the old roots.

When you remove the bare root from its packing medium, (and make no
mistake about this, it is NOT soil that surrounds the bare roots), the
little roots break off and the plant is not able to support the
foliage that is developing. The rose buds will not get enough water
and they will dry up. The buds then fall off and the rose is set back
a bit before setting new buds. The more 'leafed out' the rose is
when it is in its bare root bag, the worse this problem is. A fully
leafed out bare root rose in a bag is a recipe for disaster. I'm not
saying it won't survive, but you had better really know what you are
doing to keep it alive.

Fully dormant roses (as long as the canes are smooth green and
healthy), will perform much better after they have been planted. They
are much more forgiving.

The rose bush only has a certain amount of stored sugars in its roots
and stems. Any depletion of this resource sets the rose's ability to
'leaf out' back to some degree.

Never plant the sawdust packing medium used for shipping bare roots
with the rose. This is uncomposted wood chips and sawdust, and will
only deplete nitrogen from the soil as it decomposes over the
years.... and I do mean years.

Bob Bauer
Zone 6 in Salt Lake City
http://www.rose-roses.com/