Hi, I also garden in z5(Chicagoland) As far as the problems you list, they plague my garden as well. If you don't spray (I rarely do) potting the rose and changing locations will have little bearing on the pests and disease conditions mentioned, although a more observable location may help with faster notice/treatment. I would be hesitant to dig up the plant this late in the season, you would undoubtedly damage roots and going into a z5 winter may be difficult for the plant. Your better bet would be potting the rose up next spring and allowing the summer for it to acclimate to the move. Then overwintering in a garage or shed.

Hi, :)
I, on the other hand, would recommend you do pot it up. But I might be in the minority (and wrong). If you do pot it up, get as large a pot (resin perferably) as you can. Try not to disturb the roots. Trim the branches before the move.
Overwintering is easy. Keep the potted rose outside until the leaves start to fall off and before a really hard freeze. Then place the pot off the floor (on wood runners, up high, whatever) and cover with blankets that are breathable. I use jutte (is that the word?) and cotton blankets. Then I cover loosely with cardboard. Keep the rose in the dark. Don't worry too much about opening/closing the garage door. I leave mine open to shovel snow. Take off all the leaves before you put it in the garage. Water really, really well before it goes in. Then over the winter, when the dirt seems dry, water about 1 cup (large pot) - check monthly. If the weather gets below -25C, then I would really layer on more blankets. In the spring if you have only one or two roses, you can schlep them outside for the day and back in for the night. I have about 50 roses, so I leave them until temperatures don't go below 3-5C at night. Any growth that occurs for roses left in the garage and not taken in and out must be cut off.

That works for me with 100% success. I even keep fertilizing and deadheading in the fall.

Good luck with what you choose. :)
Carol

Oops - I meant a foam pot - not a resin pot.
Carol :)

You know, i've read quite a bit recently about burying roses (the whole plant) in cold zones. I'm not in zonr 5a anymore- and if I was still, I probably would not bother to do this with a whole garden full of roses, let alone healthy austin roses. But since your rose is ailing, I'll throw this out as a suggestion.
You could put it in a pot in it's happy spot now until it goes dormant. Prepare the hole you plan to put it in in the spring over the next month.. Just before it gets too cold (late october?) put it in the hole on its side and bury it. (at the bottom)
Then dig it up and plant it upright in spring.
This way you can nurse it now and now worry about it over winter.

You know, i've read quite a bit recently about burying roses (the whole plant) in cold zones. I'm not in zonr 5a anymore- and if I was still, I probably would not bother to do this with a whole garden full of roses, let alone healthy austin roses. But since your rose is ailing, I'll throw this out as a suggestion.
You could put it in a pot in it's happy spot now until it goes dormant. Prepare the hole you plan to put it in in the spring over the next month.. Just before it gets too cold (late october?) put it in the hole on its side and bury it. (at the bottom)
Then dig it up and plant it upright in spring.
This way you can nurse it now and now worry about it over winter.

I have to agree with t-bred, wait for spring now. It's too late in the season to be uprooting the thing and hoping it will survive.

I do winter about 40 potted roses outside here but it is labor intense to do so. For just one pot it can be placed in an unheated garage or shed for the winter and should be OK. Lift it off the floor on blocks and water it once a month all winter.

Lola is talking about the "Minnesota tip" and that's more for ground planted roses not potted ones. Since you've had your's 10 years already you know it's winter hardy for you and I don't think burying it is necessary.

This rose sounds like it would benefit greatly from a change in location. Increased sunlight, ventilation, etc. Although all my Darby's are zone 5 hardy, they are in prime real estate. I think it is a toss up between moving it to a large pot and letting it settle in before the frost OR babying it in it's current location. The ability for a rose to tolerate winter depends greatly on the health of the plant. I have overwintered many tender limping along roses and i must say they fare better in the garage. If you can leave the root ball intact when moving it, dig as far out as practical, disturb feeder roots as little as possible, then I feel the gargage may be the best bet for next spring.

If you live in a humid area blackspot is typical and will still be present if you put the rose in a pot.

Sounds like your rose is resting for the summer, and rain and cooler weather should bring on fresh leaves and new blooms. In my no-spray garden setting blackspot does not diminish vigor or hardiness.

Since your rose is 10 years old, it might be quite well established in its current location. If it's a really large plant it might be a project to transplant it; it might be happier in the ground.

I've found that Austins do well with organic fertilizers, checking the quality of the soil in your rose bed might be something to consider.

If your rose is leafless, the ability to make and store energy is greatly diminished. DEfoliation from BS will do this. It would be highly unlikely for it to fire up this late in the season. They go dormant gradually as the days shorten. A rose that "rests" duing spring and summer may be resting in peace.

Concerning getting a pot off the garage floor, perhaps with wooden runners:

Actually, the highest temperature location in a Winter garage is probably the cement foor. This is because the floor receives some heat from the ground below. The cement may feel cold to the touch but that's simply because cement is better than air at conducting heat away from your hand. The higher temperature of the floor means a pot in contact with the floor will be at a higher temperature than a pot which is not in contact with the floor. The effect may be negligibly small for all I know, but it is certain that raising a pot off the floor of a garage is a waste of time.

I know this is an old thread, but I thought I might try and restore it. I've been cautioned that an unattached shed will probably be too cold to store my potted roses in a zone 5. Does anyone have experience with this? Perhaps it would be successful if canadian_rose's advice on insulation?

I could also store them in a basement, but I think it will be too warm (it can get to 62) or bury them as my grandfather did, but it sounds like that's not really common with potted roses?

I store my tree rose in an unattached shed every winter and it has survived for 6 winters now. I think it's a better option than the basement. It will be too warm down there and they'll try to grow without enough light. That will use up any energy that they've stored in the roots and canes for spring. You could dig trenches and sink the pots in the ground but that's very labor intensive and no better guarantee.

Yes, my grandfather dug trenches, but since I have the shed available to me it seems like the better, or at least easier, option. It can be rather cold here, but it seems that if they are insulated enough they may make it.

Heed mike_rivers' point that the slab is by far the warmest part of the shed on a cold winter night. If you insulate, do not insulate the pot from the slab, but insulate so as to retain heat moving from the slab into the pot.