Moving roses is tricky as we get into summer weather. The best time is Dec-Jan in So. CA If anyone wants to take some, the best thing is to water them well a few days before you plan to dig and then keep them in pots in the shade until the roots get going again. The danger is that if they lose too many rootlets, they can dry out faster than they can drink water because the tiny roots that drink the water have been severed and all that is left is the main anchor roots. So try to keep as much soil intact around the roots as possible by wrapping the rootball with something during the move. Roses can only be moved bare root around December.

Those look like musks and knock-outs, depending on the position and how well established they are, they could actually work out pretty well in a xeriscape, I live in zone 9b and thornless musks are commonly planted in median strips here, just saying.

The horror! You should go post this in the Rose forum, you'll get a lot of nasty replies.

Roses are so wonderful, why would you want to rip them all up for some dry xeriscape?

Some of the bushes by the side of the house (second picture) are planted a little too close together though. Maybe you could take some of them out.

Hahahaha if I wanted a lot of nasty replies I'd go to the political forum and troll Drumpfites.

That said, the landscaping at this house is such a mish-mash and I don't have the wherewithal to manage 2 dozen rose bushes with my brownish thumb. The inconsistency of the foliage makes my OCD twitch and I miss my property in Arizona. Oh...and water, yeah, there's not much of that. But mostly I like the desert landscape. Maybe I'll leave the ones in the raised planter areas (whatever you call those) but the "front yard" section is a nightmare that has to go.

I have rose bushes all around my property (in Arcadia) and they need VERY LITTLE in the way of water and/or care. In fact, even though I'm really not a rose aficionado, I've found myself adding more and more of them as time goes by. They add such a nice splash of color throughout the year. If water is one of your reasons for wanting to eliminate them, I think you should reconsider because they simply don't need that much (at least mature, established roses don't--in MY experience).

If you don't like them, pull them out. Rose bushes are not sacred! Would you consider asking a few neighbors if they would like to help themselves? If they don't want any, they might know others who would. You might want to keep a couple just for the record.

I watered the roses very little last summer. They didn't die, but they didn't look too good either.

I successfully transplanted a bush in the dead of summer.

I think you should start in what I presume was once a lawn area. Don't rip out all the other roses yet. You can cope with them for one more Summer. Concentrate on a design for the xeriscape area. Do you have any ideas? I guess being from Az you know more about it than many.

Roses fall right in the middle of the pack on water use. They need about half as much water as turf. Flax which is promoted as drought tolerant needs about the same amount of water.

Maybe instead of a xeriscaped desert garden you could research "coastal sage scrub" or "coastal chaparral" and get a more native look. Palos Verdes has a few areas which are still in a semi wild state (Portuguese Bend). In which case maybe some of the roses could stay and be incorporated into the look? I took flak from some because I removed camellias to create my coastal garden. As the Italians say, "Degustibus non desputatem best." You can't argue about taste.

Oh, for ideas about native plants or to purchase them google "Theodore Payne" or Santa Margarita Botanic Gardens. we bought plants from both nurseries. All did well except for Manzanitas which all died.