Coffee grounds are used as an overall soil amendment. They do not have to be used on roses, they should be applied to the entire bed. They have a small smount of nitrogen, but are not used as fertilizers. They help make the soil better. They will decompose. You don't want to apply them thickly, as they will crust over and repel water.

You might want to browse over at the Soil, Compost and Mulch or the Organic Gardening forums, there are usually a few threads on using coffee grounds.

I'm glad ya'll posted about this - I just got a 'grind and brew' coffee pot and have loads of grounds to toss!

My father back in the 1060's always used coffee grounds for the nitrogen content. My father covered his entire garden with the grounds. they are an acidifying material with a small amount of nitrogen. Once a month I place about a hand full of grounds around the rose bed. Make sure you do not cover the bare root or the bud union. You want to place the coffee on the ground surrounding the roses bed. A week after i put down the grounds I mulch around the rose bed.