If you planted the bud union below the ground, that's where it should be, the rose will root from the graft. So you will have a own root rose. The rootstock will continue to grow as well.
Greenhaven, I am the President of the Stephen Decatur Rose Society in Decatur,Il. If you need more help, just email me.

Dan, cool! Thanks! My horse came from Decatur. Should I be concerned about my roses reverting to own-root?

No, you should be happy if they go own root. You will have less chance of losing them after a severe winter that way. What you should be concerned about is having root stock take over. If you grow grafted roses, you should always be on the lookout for any new cane that comes from *below* the graft and promptly remove it.
My rose society rescued and adopted a whole garden of old unwanted roses last fall. Many of the roses had been planted so long that there was an extensive root system *above* the graft, meaning that those were the roots of the desired variety. In several cases, we sawed off the root stock (below the graft) because it had either died off as the named variety took over (which is fine - it had done its job in getting the rose off to a good start and was no longer needed) or we sawed off the rootstock because it had such a long shank that we could not fit the whole thing in any of the large pots we had with us. I feel confident that those roses will do fine anyway, because the own root system was so good. Anyway, that's just to give you an idea of what can happen to those grafted roses over time.

Anne, very interesting! If my bud union goes four or five inches under ground (which they aren't now, as they are in pots,) how does one tell if new cane growth is coming from below the graft union vs above it? Do the canes look different?

As I am asking this question I am thinking about my Zephies I planted last year. The bud union was right at soil level with ne of them, and toward the end of the year it had grown two canes that looked very different from the previously grown ones. I wonder of that is what happened?

Ok, first of all you never want to plant a grafted rose with the bud union at or above soil level in your zone. Always make sure that graft is below the soil at least 2 inches. I personally plant it 4 to 6 inches deep. If I have to angle the root stock to get it there, I do so. That's your protection for winter. (Potted is different, if you're going to be storing those pots in an unheated garage or basement. Then you can have the graft above the soil if you wish.)

Second, how do you tell if it's root stock coming up? Keep in mind that as a rose grows and matures, the appearance of new canes can look a bit suspicious, but never cut off a cane on suspicion alone - you could lose some nice basal breaks that way (ask me how I learned that!) And root stock does not often just sprout - usually it is quite well behaved. It usually takes a trauma to the grafted variety - say, severe winter damage causing it to be pruned back to the ground, or after severe vole damage - those can trigger the root stock to go into overdrive. You should just be aware that it CAN happen, and be watchful. If the leaves and the cane itself seem totally different than the existing plant, carefully dig down by hand at the base of the rose to see just where that cane is coming from - above or below the "bump" that is the graft. You would need to do this anyway to remove it if it is root stock because it is best to "tear" the cane away, not clip it off. If you prune it (cut it) it will just resprout. If you tear the unwanted cane away from the root stock, it will stay gone. It is not good to let the root stock grow, as it will take over from the named variety and soon it will be the only rose growing there. If you ever hear someone say that their rose "changed" and now it has totally different bloom color, that's usually what has happened. The rose they planted is no longer alive and the root stock is all that's left growing.

Wow, cool! Thanks anne, that defintiely helps.

I know about burying bud union, now...but didn't last year when I planted the Zephies. I just followed pre-packaged directions. Both made it through the winter,(and it was a TOUGH one!!!) but this year I will be changing things so they are better protected.

you have a nice source of rose treats from your horse too. Just age it a couple years first and it is GOLD baby.
Think: Scooby Snacks for roses.

Ha ha! triple b, already got some composting, and the stable where she lives has a whole dumpster full of manure and shavings! Yippee! Best part is that I dont have to deal with the manure myself personally, anymore! ;oD