I'd want to move it in the fall or winter, rather than right before the advent of the heat of summer. As a rule, plants should never be cut back prior to transplanting....they need each and every leaf (the energy factories of a plant) to help produce more new roots after they are replanted.

It used to a common practice to prune the top to compensate for root loss, but we are a lot smarter now. We know that that is the worst thing we can do.

Thank you! I'll wait until fall to move it and harvest about 1/3 (and make a few new starts while I'm at it) now :)

In the mean time you could take cuttings to start more plants. Then if it should die from being moved you will have more to replace the plant.

rhizo 1 is right, but the cut back rule was so the top would not die back. The best way to prevent that is to move in the winter & keep the plant top & soil damp for a week or two.
I worked with a plant man who had to move plant in the S.C. summer & the water treatment saved ALL the plant we moved.

IMHO, rosemary is hard to move, successfully. I don't think I ever have, actually. Especially when they get big! good luck to you though, and like the others said, wait a bit! :)
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We moved a large rosemary bush in early February, when it was in full bloom. We drug it across the yard on a tarp and replanted it in our alkaline soil, then watered daily for the first couple of months. Though I had heard that rosemary could not be divided, a chunk of the rootball broke off and we planted it, too. They are both thriving.

Jan

We moved a large rosemary bush in early February, when it was in full bloom. We drug it across the yard on a tarp and replanted it in our alkaline soil, then watered daily for the first couple of months. Though I had heard that rosemary could not be divided, a chunk of the rootball broke off and we planted it, too. They are both thriving.

Jan