It can be potted up and now might be a good time because it's still warm enough to settle into the pot and get over any transplant shock before it gets too cold. I would do as little pruning as possible so get as big a pot as you can. You can over winter the pot in a garage if you can't get it back in the ground this fall. Good luck with your house selling and move!

Seil's advice is good, but from the shape of the hips, I don't think it's Queen Elizabeth. Hers are large, far more round and resemble pumpkins rather than being elongated as your rose's are. It took some searching, but I found two on the huge Queen Elizabeth out back the resident squirrel missed. These are on the small side for the variety due to the intense heat and the extreme drought. My water use is severely reduced and the plants are showing their displeasure. Kim

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The easiest way would be to dig the dormant plant in November, cut back the top, stuff it in a trash bag for the trip, and replant it in the Maine garden as a bare root. Will the ground be frozen Nov. 30? I would guess not in Mass., maybe but probably not in Maine. You could open the hole in advance, prepare the soil, and pile leaves over the dirt pile to keep it from freezing. Late fall planting of bare roots used to be standard procedure in zone 5.

Also, mulch heavily around the Mass. plant when cold weather arrives to be sure it will remain diggable.

If you transplant to a pot now, it will probably defoliate and use up energy growing new leaves, which would be killed by frosts very soon. Then you have the hassle and risk of overwintering a pot.

Thanks roseseek - I will make it a winter project to figure out the name of the rose.

I think I will do a hybrid solution presented here. Dig in November and put in a prepared pot in the garage. The stems are about 5 feet and I feel that I need to come them back.

So, you are going to haul 100 lbs of dirt to Maine, and then what is the plan for overwintering?