I think that is better to transplant the rose when it's dormant in the fall. You'd get lots of responses on this on the Rose board. What rose is it?

Barb

Hi Sooey! I've been hanging back, hoping that some of the more knowledgeable rosarian types would respond. Barb is right that the fall would probably be better, however:

My take is that it depends on how unhappy the rose is in its current location. You won't kill it by moving it now - it has already survived a traumatic move from CT, and old roses are tough. Your climate is similar to mine, and I moved an established rose (Carefree Delight) a few weeks ago. It's rather subdued right now, with some yellow leaves, but I'm not worried about it. Maybe no blooms this year, or maybe just later.

If the rose is really miserable now, then I would just move it and make sure it's in good soil with frequent watering. Maybe protect it from sun for a week to give it time to recover. Timing the move for just before a rainstorm or cloudy days is always good (this afternoon would work).

Alternatively, you could spread some compost or organic mulch around the stems now to improve the soil and move it later.

Good luck!

Claire

Thanks Kids,

Barb, I first posted this question over at the Rose Forum and got some good advice. Their feeling is that waiting for the Fall is the better option. I am not sure about the name of this rose but it is very, very old. The friend who gave it to me has pictures of her Great Grandmother planting the rose garen from which this one came. The photo is from sometime in the 40s.

Claire, you hit the nail or 'thorn' on the head...how unhappy is the rose right now? I don't know...It lost at least 2 canes over the winter and has produced only 1 new cane this growing season. It has also been hit with caterpillars so it's leaf development has been stunted. It looks unhappy but alive.

I will feed and give it extra care through the summer and make the move in the fall. Yikes...this makes me nervous...

Thanks Kids.

sooey

sooey: I just went looking for your post in the Antique Roses forum to see what they said.

I really liked the video on Moving a Rose During the Growing Season. The one thing that amazed me was that this guy moved a rose with bare legs and arms and a bald spot. Granted his rose was small and narrow; the rose I just moved was very wide and I wore long pants, a long sleeved shirt with a sweatshirt on top, and a hat. I was soaked but only had a few minor scratches.

I didn't realize that the Cape was having so many problems with winter moth caterpillars eating roses - it hasn't been an issue in my garden (thank you, grackles and friends).

Claire

Also, I noticed that in your post in the Antique Roses forum you mentioned cutting the one cane back before you moved the rose. I would avoid cutting the cane at all unless the rose people tell you to. The rose needs that cane to produce new leaves. You can always drape the cane over your shoulder (carefully) as you move it.

Claire

Thanks Claire,

YES!!! I noticed that the guy in the video had NO protection from the rose during the move...shorts and short sleeves! I even looked at his legs and arms...no blood! Did he use a stunt double? I thought the video was very good and I liked the double shovel method he used for getting the bush out of the ground and for deposit into the new hole. When I am ready to move this one in the fall I will have to search his other videos. When they say 'the fall', when exactly is that? After the growing season and if so, will a relocated rose bush grow new roots before cold weather/winter? I am sure you can tell that I know next to nothing about rose bushes.

Yes, we have been hit with the winter moth caterpillars on our rose bushes and on everything else. It's sorda yuckie...

Thanks, Claire.

sooey

In spring the air can be warm while the soil is still cool so the top of the plant may want to grow faster than the roots. Moving in the fall, the days are shorter and sun less intense, and it tends to be moister in the fall than in early summer, so you need to water less & there's less stress on the plant. After leaves fall, the soil stays warm for a while so new roots can grow. We have a short growing season in general and can snow as early as mid-October(!) so I tend to move woodies in very early September, before the leaves fall. I'm not sure when folks in your zone would move plants.

Thanks, nhbabs...I can understand that and it makes a lot of sense. Our falls are generally long and on the warm side here on the Cape. We can get an early frost in mid October but for the most part we do not have a killing frost until late November/early December. I make it a rule to put my deck 'away' on the first weekend in November. Most years I am pulling out lovely plants and flowers from their containers that could go on blooming for a few more weeks. It sounds like if I move my rose bush during the middle of September it will have time to put out roots and set up housekeeping in it's new location before cold weather sets in. Sounds like a plan...thanks.

sooey

Too early. Around here, I'd usually do things like that around Halloween. It sounds like where you are, it can go later than that.

Freezing temperatures have *absolutely nothing* to do with roses. What is going to matter in this case, is when the ground freezes, since root growth is going to occur until then. If moved too early, the rose is going to try and grow leaves to replace what was lost, and that is the last thing you want under the circumstances.