Most roses love full sun, a good six hours. i have found that most roses prefer morning sun to the roasting, afternoon, western heat during the summer months. If you are transplanting a bare-root rose, (bud grafted), make sure that you create a small "cone" inside the planting hole and spread the roots over it, then backfill with soil. Water several times during this process to eliminate air pockets, which will dry out the rose and kill it. Your soil should be rich but well drained. Swampy soil is deadly. Roses love compost and banana peels, which are rich in potassium. They also love epsom salts, or magnesium. A little a few times during the growing season goes a long way. Time-release organic fertilizer is also beneficial. (I am an organic gardener and I do not use synthetic fertilizers. They do not feed the soil.) I plant roses in early spring and early fall, when the weather is usually moderate and rainfall is just about guaranteed. You need to find out what climate zone you live in. A shrub rose such as Lemon Zest should take zones 5 or 6 through 9. You do not say where you live. Zone 5 is Ohio and that is a cold winter temperature. Zone 7 is Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia. Zone 8 would be near Georgia. However, the zones also vary within each state depending upon location: desert, interior, seaside, woodland, etc. Call your local nursery and ask the rose attendants about your climate zone. A good nursery should have staff who can help you with that information. If you ordered this rose through the mail, there should have been an instruction book with the package. If not, call the company and ask for it. Sincerely, Victoria