I never heard of this but have never lost a rose. Yeh I live in the US, but what does that matter? A rose is a rose. Most important is how you plant it, location, preparation, care, etc. Give it as much sun as possible; plenty of air circulation - don't over crowd it with other plants; prepare the planting hole using 'cone method'; keep graft union below soil line; add necessary amendments to planting hole; fertilize with quality rose food/fertilizer. Water only roots, not the leaves - don't drown it - it's gotta breathe oxygen too. Watch out for those aphids - they are the worst thing. Spray them with a mixture of dish soap or mild hand soap with water.

If your rose bush wants to flower the first year, why not enjoy it? That's what it's for. A healthy rose bush is going to bloom. If it can't handle a flower or two, it will abort, but it will rest anyway between bloom cycles. You can also just snip if off and place in a bud vase for your breakfast table. Why not?

I was given this advice when I bought some many years ago. to be honest I forgot by the time the first buds formed. It doesn't really make any difference. if the rose isn't too happy the bud formation will be poor anyway.
It does sort of make sense to stop it flowering [using energy that could be used for growth] but it wont necessarily make it make new roots.

I would tend to ignore the removing the buds in the first year to encourage healthy rooting. I would just make sure that you prepare the soil before planting and if you are concerned (which I don't think you should), you can always add Rootgrow for roses.

Did they jus mean remove any flower buds? Can't think it would be helpful to remove leaf buds.

Removing all of the flower buds does help root development, but normally doesn't make enough difference to be signifigant. The main exceptions are new cuttings or weak plants on the edge of death....Come to think of it, that could describe many mail order plants! :/

Thank you all for your good advice. They are rose "Ausprior" and are ordered from a reputable firm so should be good healthy plants. I am not sure what the cone method is - is it just forming a cone shape with the soil so the rose sits on top and the roots go down the side? Thanks Cecelia

Yes, yes, that's it! just form a cone inside the hole sit the new rose bush on top of the cone and splay the roots out in all directions. Then backfill with the amended soil. This way the roots will anchor the bush firmly & the roots won't compete with each other. Just google it or go on Youtube for clearer instructions. See you can play in the mud again. lol.

Thank you, yes it was just the flower buds not the leaf buds as well. I think I will just play in the mud and make a nice cone as suggested. Cecelia

Who would do that? It makes sense right enough? But who would?! Lol! Ive never heard of the cone method. Very helpful, thanks!