"michael adams" wrote in :


For "died off" in the first paragraph above, read "dormant". I was
thinking in more general terms, as of course healthy roses don't
actually drop their leaves in winter.

It's up to you, but the later in the year you leave it, the higher
your "absolute certainty" of success. In the winter the plant is
largely dormant and so less water is being taken up by the roots.
Hence disturbing the roots will be less of a shock.

Some people always prefer to err on the side of caution and so
they have no real way of knowing how much it's possible to get
away with. If moving roses during the growing season, then the
usual advice in addition is to have them out of the ground
for as short a time as possible - and\or spray the plants and
roots and enclose them in a bag, and then water them copiously
and shade from direct sunlight. Having never had to try it, I
can't really say if any of this is really necessary or not.

On the other hand if its a total disaster and they all die off
you can always replace them fairly easily in any case.

Or if you're prepared to wait, before moving them, just take loads
of cuttings, 6 to 8 inches long, stick them in a semi-shaded
sheltered spot and wait a year or two. There's plenty of info
on the web about taking cuttings.



michael adams

...


As you say, what have I got to loose? the previous owner was obviously very keen on roses
as I keep finding more in every corner I look!

I'm just so impatient to get a veggie patch on the go that I think I'm probably willing to
loose a few should things not work out right. (it's more my girlfriend wanting to keep
them anyhow!)

Thanks again for all of your invaluable advice, I think I should get my fork out!!

Ric.