Personally unless it is a very rare old rose or one that really is symbolic I would just buy some new ones when I get moved it'll be so much easier to plant them and going to the hassle of digging them up potting them moving them sounds like a ton of work.

Best wishes on your retirement home I hope you have many many years of happiness and contentment with your new roses

Thanks, Kristine. I have two Barden roses that are hard to replace, Etienne and Umbra. I could take hardwood cuttings this fall, but planting tiny plants out next spring seems risky. I know I am overthinking this...

Thank you, Shelia, that information is very helpful. I will move them in a vehicle, so they will be out of the ground only a few days.

I’d dig out just the few I could not replace, and also take cuttings of them as a backup. If I somehow ended up with ‘too many’ of a rare variety, they’d make terrific gifts for friends.

The vast majority I’d buy new once I’m settled and have my rose beds ready.

Thank you, Ben. I have had some success rooting cuttings, so I may attempt this with the Bardens and a few favorites.

Congrats on your new beginning in zone 4! I heard it’s beautiful over there! You could dig them up and grow them in pots in zone 4. Does the house have attached garages or unheated basement? You could store pots in there over the cold months. I have about 80-85 potted roses at zone 5b location. I move them them in the garages and unheated basement for the winter months.

Yes, summersrhythm, the house has an attached garage and basement, although they are both heated. We do plan to build a garden shed next summer, so I will have an additional winter storage option. The property is nicely landscaped at present, with a large shade bed. Fortunately for me the front and side yard, southern and eastern orientations, are just lawn with very little shade. I see a lot of digging in my future.

I would dig and move anything you think will survive in z4. It will take forever for cuttings to establish, and even newly purchased roses will take time to catch up to older transplanted ones. Honestly, you are in for a rude awakening, I see you guys in Z6 growing stuff I could never grow here, and I’m only one zone colder. There was a really nice gal that used to post here that was from the Twin Cities - Kelly Tregaskis? can’t remember her last name right now, but you might want to search some of her posts. Good luck with your move & happy retirement!!

Yes, happy retirement! What made you choose MN? Dingo, that is Kelly's correct name. I think she post recently.

Thank you both for the retirement wishes. Before we lived in KY we lived in WI, not far from our new house in MN. So we still have friends there and as unusual as it sounds, we miss the cold and snow.

Dingo, you have verified what I thought - that moving established plants is the way to go. I know that as a gardener I will miss the warmer & longer growing season, but honestly the older I get the more I dislike the heat and humidity. I am looking forward to growing delphiniums and lilacs.

Thank you both for suggesting Kelly’s posts. I have a lot to learn.

Have you considered starting cuttings now? The ones that take would be easy to pack.
Carla in Sac

Will you be going there before the move to plant things or are you waiting to close? If the former, I'd bareroot them and move them that way. How many roses do you have? I think it's hard to get plants big in a shorter growing season so I would try my best to take mature plants. Cutting are good, but mine take a couple of years before they are ready to go in ground and make it through a winter. Those I planted small often didn't survive. I used to be astounded at how rapidly Cori Ann could get her cutting large, but without a greenhouse or some sort of winter set-up, they only get a few months of good growth around here and this is Z6a/b.

Vaporvac, I won’t be planting until next spring. We don’t take possession until October. I have some roses growing in containers that I will move and two Barden‘s that I plan to dig and move. I agree that cuttings will be less likely to make it, but I will try a few. I also plan to pot up suckers from Charles de Mills and Tuscany Superb. I am considering digging Desiree de Parmentier, Erinnerung an Brod, Bourbon Queen and Vareigata de Bologna. All four have done beautifully here and are borderline hardy in zone 4, so I stand a better chance with larger root systems. I will be leaving behind a lot of great roses, but I am looking forward to planning a garden appropriate to Minnesota. I appreciate your input.

Let me know if you're having a rose sale! :It could warrant a road trip! : 0

I will certainly keep you in mind. Glad you are I interested.

Why not try taking some cuttings and start them.... then you can also try moving the mother plant.... I would suggest the cutting first and try to root them in case the mother plant doesn't make the move well.... but if you had cuttings rooted (I would do a couple of each) then you should surely have a plant in the long run... either the mother or the cutting... anyways if your mother plant makes it you could give the cuttings to a friend who enjoys your roses, or donate them to a rose society to auction off providing that these roses aren't still patent....

just a thought.... i would hate for you to lose something that you cherish,

Sharon

Thanks, Sharon. I will attempt to root some cuttings.