I read your original post, and decided that I could not contribute anything helpful.

Years ago we had 4 trees removed. The tree removal service came through the back of our property, and removed the trees with a large crane or backhoe. One of the options before the crane was to use their machines to temporarily lift out my roses and then re-plant them.

I cut back teas every year here in Tulsa, OK. They spring back just fine, and in the meantime I can get to the main stems, and prune or cut out old wood.

I wonder to what extent your county would use the large machinery to lift out your roses and save them. It seems to me that part of the responsibility of tearing up your yard should rest with them.

I love my teas and china roses, but they take 3 years to grow so that you can enjoy them.

If I were in your place, I think I would try to make personal deals. Once the machinery is in place, whether it is the county or a company hired to do the work, why don't you offer deals for them to work on their own time?

You could cut them back and have the roses ready to be moved. You would need to have a professional to go around and cut the roots. THat would be a pain, but perhaps there are machines to do that.

I cannot go farther with my ideas since my property is more than likely far different than yours.

I do hope you take care of yourself. Times like this can be so frustrating when we realize that life can hit us and we cannot hit back. When it comes right down to it, we can be so vulnerable, and make ourselves sick while those who have stepped on us just move along and don't care.

I hope everything works out well for you.

Sammy

Thanks sammy, I am dealing with it by promising myself that I will have a better yard afterwards. I just bought some landscape planning software to help with that. I know it will be hard to see everything torn out, so I may just not watch it.

I though about having them dig up the roses, but I honestly don't trust it. They can pull up anything I don't want (like the junipers) or stuff that can be easily replaced (mini hollies an other shrubs). But the roses I think I want to manage myself. Of course that may change once I try digging one up!

Hey, Buford, glad you're working on your plan. Year before last (I think) I gave away a bunch of good-sized roses to Rose Petals Nursery. I dug up some and Cyd's husband dug up some big ones. I was amazed at how roughly he dug them up. (I didn't fret out loud because they weren't mine anymore, but I would have been pitching fits if they were staying in my gardens. I can still feel the palpitations!) To get to the good end of the story, they all did fine in their garden - no problems whatsoever. And just so you know, my soil instantly falls away from the roots. They were literally bare-rooted, and the remaining roots were rarely two feet long, sometimes much less. And THEN they put them DRY in their closed trailer (some were in buckets of water; the ones I dug were potted) and made the hour drive in the Florida heat. I expected to hear that some had perished, but Cyd has kept me informed that they have flourished which only made me feel bad because they were so scraggly in my garden.

I'm assuming you have Georgia clay which will make the rootball exceedingly heavy to move. So I'm wondering if you 1) shouldn't have someone burlier than you dig them up (they will have very thick roots and a tap root) and 2) possibly you could bare-root them for the move if the rootball is too heavy, either repotting them or using your backyard bed as you mentioned. How much can a 3x3 or 4x4 chunk of clay weigh? Lots and lots.

The ones they took were Arcadia Louisiana Tea, General Schablikine, Enchantress, Souv de Francois Gaulain, Blush Noisette, LeVesuve, Crepuscule, another noisette, and Parade. Previously I had given her Cl SDLM and E. Veyrat Hermanos (who was HUGE).

Also, I did no trimming on them, figuring I would let them do it as they wished (when I've done it I wait for dieback and trim accordingly). I believe we were into our spring weather which is at least 70's and sunny. Just wear long sleeves and long pants. Hopefully, you can get one of the guys to do the digging. :)

Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: If only sweat were irrigation...

Thanks Sherry, I'm waiting to hear back from the county, they came and staked out where the easement will be, which is basically my whole front yard, LOL. I have some concerns about restoring a stone stairway that is right by the drainpipe, so that will be a negotiation. If it comes down to that, I may try to get them to pay for someone to dig up the roses. I would let them do it, but the timing is off. I don't want to move them in April, when they will be full of buds.

Yes, these rootballs will mostly likely weight a ton. We do have a riding mower, so we may be able to use that to pull them out (we've done that before) and move them to the backyard where I will be storing them. Ideally, I'd like to keep as much as my soil that I've slaved over 10 years perfecting as possible, so I may be moving soil as well.

I've actually been looking at pictures of your yard when you first redid it to get ideas. I want to have large shrubs featured in the new bed in the center (replacing the junipers). I do have some babies in pots, Pearl d'Or and Mutablis and Cramoisi Superior. I was planning on putting them in other spots but now I think they would be perfect for the front.

I'm most perturbed about having to move my Mrs. BR Cant. She actually will benefit because the spot she is in now, she's a bit cramped. She will be in basically the same spot on the far side of the driveway, just more to the left so she can spread out. I was hoping to put a matching rose on the other side of the driveway. Right now Mlle Franziska Kruger is there, but she's been under performing for awhile. I will keep her, but in a different spot. I've been looking at roses all day to see what can match with a MBRC, and I'm thinking, maybe just get another one!!! I think that would look fabulous.

Anyway, I'm trying to concentrate on the positive. As I told DH, if this is the worst thing that happens to us, we are pretty lucky. I guess the meds are working for me, LOL.

Glad to see you back posting. Hope all is well with you and hubby!

Having never moved mature teas I have nothing useful to offer as to how to do it. However, I would like to suggest that you take cuttings and try to root your favorites. That way if they do not survive the move, you will have replacements ready and waiting.

Some years ago we had a long established Cl Shot Silk moved. It was probably 50 years old and simply enormous. The plant was moved with heavy equipment that was on hand for the job that made it necessary to move the rose. Cl Shot Silk lived for a couple of years in its new location, never again as grand as it had once been, then died. In your place, if the roses are easily replaceable, I would be tempted to just replace them. (In fact, I recently planted a new Cl Shot Silk. It seems happy.)

Rosefolly

I know some of them resent being pruned but I think they'll only sulk for a while and then begin to grow back to their former sizes. You really can't keep most roses down for long. They're tough and survivors. As long as you get a good healthy root ball I think you'll be OK. I surely don't envy you this big job though.

I moved a Monsieur Tillier last spring and 4 things made it successful, I feel.
1. watering it well 3 days before the move, so the plant is well watered but the root ball is not so wet that it breaks apart. We have native clay, amended, and this worked well.
2. digging a circle 3 feet from the base, This was done to be sure to dig entirely under the rootball.
3. Each day, for 3 days after the move, I saturated the ground Monsieur Tillier' was in. It was covered with rosebuds before the move and none of them fell off and the leaves did not droop either. I feel the extra water helped a lot. It is thriving in its' new spot, 9 months later.
4. 2 people with 2 shovels and a very wide broken plastic pot "scoop" , to scoop up the root ball, so the rootball was supported at all times.

We moved a huge Rosette Delizy' from Miriam Wilkins garden, in a similar way several years ago.

I'm going to move a Mrs. B. R. Cant next.

I would move a mature Tea to a permanent place between Dec and February before the main growth spurt, if possible.
Then water heavily for 3 consecutive days and every week (unless there is rain) for a month or so.

I like the idea of bare-rooting a large Tea rosebush and may give it a try.

Good luck,
Lux

Thanks Lux, that gives me hope. Luckily we've had so much rain here that I wouldn't have to soak the roses at all.

I think moving them between now and February is the best thing to do. And then replanting them after the project is done (sometime in April) I think they will probably have put on some new growth by then and maybe I can get a flush in June. I just have to keep them well watered while they are out of the ground. The spot I am going to store them is in my backyard, and I will make sure they are shaded. I have some roses near there that get less sun than those in the front because the back is lower than the front yard and gets the sun later, and they are usually a month behind in blooming, so it may work out.