I'm not a rose novice, and was a semi-serious rose enthusiast back in Houston, even a member of the rose society, but this is a different climate. This area is very hard to start bareroots roses, which is why my roses are still in the nursery, in a greenhouse. I will be putting them in a raised bed, which has some added topsoil; there is still room for a good bit more soil and amendments, and I have another 3 weeks to get the bed ready. We're zone 6 here, and so I'm not so needful of extra hardy, but it gets dry. I won't plant anything not rated zone 5, just to be safe, though. And I'm getting my plants through the best local nursery, where they have lots of talent on staff.
I am planting floribundas, not hybrid teas, though. Cherish, a Star Rose patented variety, is the one I'm really looking forward to.
I dig lots of peat moss into my rose garden and have spectacular blooms. I'm in Pennsylvania. I do make sure the roses get sun almost all day long, by planting them on the south side of the house, and I am a nut about watering them religiously.
And that's about all I know about growing great roses.