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?

"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

Gail,

Thanks so much for all the info. I think I'll prune the roots this
weekend of the roses I have in my front yard and move them in a few
weeks to see how they do. Then I'll tackle the back yard (where most
of the roses are).

When I prune the roots, how much room should I allow from the base of
the rose bush?

E

On 16 Apr 2003 11:01:04 -0700, (E) wrote:

Gail,

Thanks so much for all the info. I think I'll prune the roots this
weekend of the roses I have in my front yard and move them in a few
weeks to see how they do. Then I'll tackle the back yard (where most
of the roses are).

When I prune the roots, how much room should I allow from the base of
the rose bush?

E

I just wanted to weigh in that I would probably wait a season before
moving the plants. Why? Because you haven't seen them in action yet,
right? You don't know what the roses are, what kind of blooms (color,
size, etc.) to expect, you don't really know the blooming cycles (some
roses bloom once and others bloom almost continuously or in distinct
cycles through the growing year).

If you wait a season, you can identify most of them, plus, you'll have
an idea about grouping them according to colors and sizes, etc.
There's nothing more frustrating than planting a small rose behind a
large one by accident...Plus, you can get used to the normal care and
pruning while they're still established, instead of caring for them
while they're trying to get acclimated to their new surroundings (and
just the movement is going to set them back quite a bit, plus, you
might even lose a few - better to have a year of care under your
belt).

Just my .02.

Hello "E" and welcome to Portland, not for
nothing called the city of roses.

If I were you I will do nothing to those roses
until the fall. First of all you need to identify them
to determine when are you supposed to prune
them. Then you will need to dig some decent
bed where to house them once you decide to
move them, and that is no trivial matter.

If you wait until after the summer you will be
able to tell what kind of roses they are (OGR
or modern ones meaning HT) what color are
they and whether or not they are one: healthy
enough to warrant the time and trouble to
move them, two: whether all the colors will
work when planted together) -

To transplant 30 roses you will need more than
good will and good intentions. The roots of those
plants are probably by now ringing the doorbells
in China, which means that transplanting then
this time of the year to a shallow hole is a death
sentence. To dig and amend the ground for those
many roses will require some time and planning.

Remember also that different roses require different
pruning techniques and different times to prune them.
Those who bloom in old wood will not be happy at
all if they are pruned at the same time as the ones who
absolutely must be pruned before going dormant.
I am not telling you this to frighten you of course,
but to spare you the nearly certain fate of having
your roses die on you if you just dig a hole in the
middle of your lawn and put them there.

Roses are voracious eaters and drinkers, they are
the Henry VIII of the flower king/queendom. So you
also have to make sure that there is water readily available
for them in that center bed, be it by soaker hoses or
if you want to hand water them, by having a spigot in
that side of the house. My suggestion is that you arm
yourself with a camera instead of a shovel and/or
a tiller. Take pictures of each and every one as they
bloom to make it easier to identify them. And that
will give you time to use some clay buster and manure
in the new bed that will heat up appropriately during the
summer so you can start moving your roses in the late
fall, and of course will give you a chance to prune them
then without any problems.

Right now is too late to start anything except a general
cleaning of the canes. The roses are already awake and
need to concentrate in what they do best, growing and
blooming. To interrupt the cycle is asking for problems
and roses are far too wonderful to perpetuate the
misinformation about how difficult they are and so forth.

Here is a link if you want to contact a consulting rosarian
to help you identify your roses. As an alternative you can
post the pictures of your roses and I hope between all of
us we can help you find out what are you growing there.
I will not volunteer for the HTs but I am more than
willing to take a stab at the OGRs where I am a little more
familiar.

Welcome to Portland and to rose growing. Please don't let
anyone tell you that it is difficult. I can think of many other
plants more difficult and much less generous than roses and
they deserve their reputation for beauty but not their reputation
for being difficult.

http://portlandrosesociety.org/


Allegra

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I actually counted all my roses
last night - 18 in the front & side yard and 30 something in the
back... and most of them are beginning to bud. I have to say I'm
feeling very overwhelmed. It sounds like there's a lot that goes into
caring for roses, and I've got a lot to learn! And a lot of roses! I
don't know if I have the time it will take! I'm wondering if I should
give some of them away to a good home where they will be given the
attention they need...

In any case, I guess I won't do anything until late this fall. It
sounds like moving them all will be a HUGE undertaking, and it will
probably take a while to prepare the new bed anyway. I'll be sure and
post pictures when they bloom... maybe you all can help identify them.

E

Hello again E,

It is a huge undertaking and one well worth the
trouble if your roses are healthy and can give you
many years of pleasure, as most roses tend to do.

Once your roses are blooming you can decide
for instance which ones are your favorites either
because of form or color. By photographing them
you can keep a record of those you would like
to keep and those you may want to give away.
Be aware however that in order to give some
away, you must first be able to tell the once and
future owner what they are.

Where are you abouts in Portland? The Central
Library on 10th is a treasure trove of info and
you can borrow many a good book there. If you
are far away from downtown then go on line, find
the books you want to read about roses, and then
request they be sent to your local library if your
local branch does not have them.

The initial investment in time is well worth the joy
of having beautiful flowers in and out of the house.
I have been growing roses for over 30 years and
have never regreted it. They have given me heartaches
and headaches, but most of all, they have given me
beauty and a sense of purpose in the garden. I hope
you find the time and the curiosity to get to know
this beautiful plant.

Allegra

"E" wrote in message
om...
Gail,

Thanks so much for all the info. I think I'll prune the
roots this
weekend of the roses I have in my front yard and move them
in a few
weeks to see how they do. Then I'll tackle the back yard
(where most
of the roses are).

When I prune the roots, how much room should I allow from
the base of
the rose bush?

E

Hi E -

I agree with others who recommend waiting
until Fall and the other suggestions (identifying,
digging proper holes, etc.).

Regarding your question, I would make the
circle as large as possible but with the
understanding that you're going to have to
deal with the resultant root ball. And, not
knowing what kinds of roses you have, it's
hard to give a distance. Some of the roses
I moved were small floribundas, and I
pruned the roots at the drip line, and could
eventually lift the rose with just a shovel.
Other roses were taller Hybrid Teas and
I pruned the roots considerably inside the
drip line and still needed help moving the
bush.

Gail