Hi Di,

While I don't live in that area, I wanted to say welcome to the SW. We live in CO at elevation so some similarities to dry and elevated (lots of sun).

My first thought was to contact the local rose society to talk to locals but I didn't find one for Las Cruces on-line. However, nearby El Paso TX has one, as does Albuquerque. Maybe contact them and see what roses they recommend for your area and see what you should be looking for in a yard that is conducive to growing roses. I do see that Las Cruces has a native plant society so maybe start exploring that to see what you can grow there that will thrive and provide enjoyment instead of frustration and disappointment.

I counted about 17 roses on your list. It sounds like alot of work to move them, only to face likely disappointment. It is in the low 100s in that area during late summer and likely they will cook in an enclosed truck bed while driving. If you were moving in the winter I'd say they had a better chance of survival.

We have a rose garden in a rock bed in CO. In choosing our roses we looked at the Denver Rose Society and took advice from High Country Roses that has their green house here. Some survived and thrived, some didn't. We practice survival of the fittest and if something dies we replace with something else. If something isn't thriving we take it out and put in something else to try.

The roses have only done really well this last year (or two) when we have had really mild winters. Usually they die back in the winter which causes alot of frustration with all the dead cane that needs to be removed. They also mostly shut down in the summer when it is 100F. We also have Japanese Beetles that decimate the summer plants. Spring and fall is the only time we really get nice production so I'm glad we didn't make the rose garden front and center of our back yard. It is tucked off to the side so it can be used as a cutting garden in the summer.

We have also built out our rose bed gradually by first trying a few in different areas of the yard. Turned out they liked the hot rock bed (where it is often 140F) the best over our mulch beds (in the shade, full sun, under a tree, in a sheltered courtyard etc) where they routinely do not thrive. Your new yard will be a learning curve and you will likely need to put cages around them and solar screening over them while they get established.

Hopefully someone who lives in the area will chime in. If it were me I'd probably try and pick 3. Not the most loved but the most likely to do well in the area, and view it as an experiment. That way you don't pour alot of work into it. Then I'd view your new yard as an adventure and a time to explore new possibilities. I think my roses are just as pretty as the ones I see in the pictures of people with more lush gardens, it is just different in a dry hot rock bed. Also keep in mind that water is in short supply in the SW so trying to water a bunch of water hungry roses is expensive. That will be one thing to check when you look at houses. Where is the water coming from and how much the monthly bill is.

People are asking me for $60 per gallon size rooting of Mary Magdalene. I root roses to donate 100% to charities, as documented on my Facebook profile Facebook

It's a rare Austin and it's drought tolerant and does well for warm & dry climate like New Mexico that you are moving to. Folks in dry CA praised Mary Magdalene for its constant blooming & heat and drought tolerance.

I bought Mary Magdalene as own root in 2011 and planted until a roof overhang that blocks out 80% of acidic rain here in my NW Chicago. Since it likes dry & alkaline, I fertilize it with biochar at pH 8.6. It was very healthy when I watered it with my alkaline tap water at pH 9. It's a decline in health & blooming after I installed 7 rain barrels and watered it with acidic rain at pH 4.5.

You are moving from a high rain & colder climate to a drier climate which will improve Fair Bianca and Mary Magdalene's past history of blackspots. Mary Magdalene is NO longer for sale by any nurseries.

Baboosic, I I moved about 10 treasured roses from Alaska to So Oregon here about 10 years ago. I did exactly as you are saying in that I potted them in the Spring when they were dormant. We did not move until September. My husband drove a Suburban through Canada on the way down. I flew down with the dog. My husband refused to take plants through Canada because it was against the law. We mailed potted roses down with 3 day air USPS. The roses were in transit 10 days. They took a holiday in 100 F Oakland where we saw in tracking they were sitting for a week. They nonetheless all did well. I wish I would have brought more.

I would bring all the plants you love, and give them a chance. Cover them with a tarp on the way west for a wind shelter.

Here, gallicas do bloom. Spinosissimas and rugosas do great as well as basically all rose classes. I would not have been able to predict what would do well in the different climate.

I still regret leaving William III from Vintage and some other scots Spinosissima roses in Alaska because sources have dried up. I could try to go back and rescue them but I would probably get arrested.

Di, I don’t live in the Las Cruces area, but I live in a very similar climate almost exactly due west 4 hours away in Sierra Vista, Arizona at almost the same elevation as Las Cruces. Bring any and all the roses you want to bring. Yes, gardening here will be much different than what you’re used to in NH, but not necessarily harder. Just very different. Focus on soil health and a good watering system will be of prime importance. As your plants settle in and adjust, you’ll discover that everything you get growing will help the next plant you try to grow. It looks like the most unlikely place to grow a lush garden, but you don’t need to resign yourself to growing only sagebrush and cactus. I’ve been here for nearly 8 years now and have transformed our yard from a barren wasteland into an oasis where we love to live. Hard work? No kidding. But very rewarding as well.

Crazy? No, Baboosic.

Almost 40 years ago, when my parents moved cross country to the paradise known as northern San Diego county, my mom insisted on bringing along the family’s 20+ year old Maytag washing machine and dryer.

rifis, as I’m sure your mom told you, they don‘t make em like they used to.