"E" wrote in message
m...
I just purchased a house in the Portland, OR area with a
very large
yard that probably has over 30 rose bushes that I think
have been
neglected for a few years. I believe most of them are
fairly old rose
bushes. Most of them have not been pruned back as I've
been told they
should have been. I've never had roses before, and have
no idea what
they all are. I'd like to move them all out of the flower
beds around
the house and into a central "rose garden". Can I do this
now?
Should I wait until next fall? Is there anything special
I should do
when I transplant them?

You could probably move them now, but I think it's
going to be messy since the roots will be all
over the planting beds. Usually it's recommended
to "prune" the roots - cut them back with a sharp
shovel by shoving it into the ground in a circle around
the rose, but not too close to the rose. That way
once you move them (in a few weeks) you won't be shocking
them as much. I've moved roses from
established beds that way and so far (cross fingers
& toes) it has worked. I've also just dug the darned
things out (no prior root pruning) and so far that's
worked, too, but they were roses that lived despite
my best (early & accidental) efforts to kill them!

Alternatively, you could move some now and
see how they fare, then move the rest in the
fall. It depends on how quickly you need
to get your new bed established.

When you move them don't let the roots
dry out. You could wrap the roots in burlap
(like you do when moving any shrub or tree)
or I've even used many layers of wet newspaper.
I would suggest moving the roses one at a time,
from digging them up to planting. If the move is
quick, you might not even need to wrap the
roots in anything.

I would suggest planting the roses at the same
level in the new bed, i.e. neither higher nor
lower than where they are now planted. The
roses are probably well adapted to the soil
they're in so unless you're moving them to a very
different soil type, you can probably just dig a
hole at the correct level, maybe throw some
bone meal (no fertilizer) in the bottom of the
hole, put the rose in, backfill halfway with
soil, water well to let the soil settle (don't stamp
down on it with your foot), then add more soil
to ground level and water again.

I also use seaweed in the sprinkler can (1 tbl
per gallon water). It acts as a growth simulator
and is good to use on roses on a regular basis.

I would water frequently until the roses appear to
have established in the new holes. I.e., new growth
that persists (doesn't die off). Then gradually reduce
watering.

You might not get much in the way of blooming
the first year, especially if some or all of your
roses are spring-only bloomers. But as long
as the leaf and cane growth is healthy, next
spring they should look great. And you might
be surprised: Your roses could all be moderns
that bloom throughout the growing season.
(I have both moderns and old garden roses so
I'm not suggesting one type is better than another.)

There are some good basic books from e.g. Sunset
and Ortho with titles like _Roses_ and _All About
Roses_ for about $12, easy to find at bookstores &
home improvement centers (Lowes, Home Depot).
They'll help with basic information, even some
identification hints, and will get you started.

Good luck with your project.

Gail
San Antonio TX Zone 8