Triplicate post

I'd be inclined to opt for the least possible hassle, i.e. starting over with new roses, except for those that you really love that aren't easily obtainable from vendors. Moving is arduous enough without having to worry about live plants in a zone you're not used to. Generally the first few months are taken up with making indoor spaces livable before you even begin to think about the garden.

Kathy Zuzek used to refer to 'non-sources'. Nurseries that had the rose in stock, was perfectly willing to ship the rose, but sold the rose in a form that most gardeners did not have the expertise or equipment to get the rose through its first winter. In other words, nurseries that sold bands, or anything else much smaller than a 2-year old, bareroot plant. Keep in mind, that among other things, roses are going to grow much slower than you are used to.

So the two things I'd recommend you do now, is investigate Palatine's OGR offerings. At this point, they are the only ones I can think of that sell the size you need. There may be others, but that isn't where the industry has been going lately. The other thing is to think through possibilities for inside wintering-over places. The goal is somewhere that is going to stay around freezing - not too warm or not too cold. In zone 5, this is often a unheated, uninsulated, attached garage. In zone 4, it may be somewhere with some deliberate supplemental heat. Once you find such a place, then you can start cuttings of your own, or overwinter purchased bands.

Double and triple check hardiness ratings. A lot of them are extremely optimistic, if not downright false for reblooming roses. And own-root roses are often much less hardy than their grafted counterparts because of the lack of vigor.

Ingrid and mad-gallica, thank you for responding. Fortunately we have until May 2020 before our final move, so I have plenty of time to prepare.

I have two Barden roses that are hard to find so I will take cuttings this fall. I have had good luck rooting hardwood cuttings, using mason jars, so I will give that a shot. I may also attempt to transplant these two (Umbra & Etienne) next spring. The new house has an attached garage and a basement, both heated. We plan to build a garden shed next summer, so that will be an option for overwintering down the road.

Mad-gallica, thank you for suggesting Palentine, as they carry several of the roses I will be leaving behind.

A shed is useless for overwintering since it will be the same temperature as the air outside. A heated basement will probably be too warm, if it is meant for human habitation. The garage will work if the thermostat is set to around 30F.

Is Sam Kedem still in business? I don't think he is still around, but maybe his children are?

Mad, Sam is still around. I stopped there a couple years ago when I was there for work, such a nice man! And he has a beautiful farm.

Sam Kedem’s

I've been to Sam's too and he is great. He stopped shipping for a while, but is back at it I think. I just looked at the website. Sam is there but transitioning toward future retirement and a couple is training to take over.

Oh, Lilyfinch, your account of moving roses to TN is an inspiration. As for the cold, we have lived in KY for 20 years for our careers and now are eager to escape the heat and humidity! If it gets too cold for us in the winter we will just stay inside by the fire. Hurrah for retirement.

Thanks for the link to Sam Kedem’s. I am looking forward to planning a new garden in a different environment.