transplanting established rose bushes ?

I really need to move some of my established rose bushes.

Back in 06, my old bedroom had to be torn down. When my new room got built, the builder insisted on putting it in a new spot, so there was this "hole" where the old room was. Two of my sons built me a deck in the hole area. However when we built it, they delivered the wrong lumber and we did not notice until too late. (untreated instead of treated lumber). The deck rotted after a few years and had to be removed. So, that hole is still there. We have been adding rocks and stuff for fill, BUT all kinds of tree starts including mimosa and trumpet vines and other weeds have invaded it. I HAVE been trying to keep them down, but it has gotten out of control anyway. My son that lives here took his electric hedge trimmer in there, but the mess is right back.

When he built the deck he put in a lovely trellis for my new rose bushes that I planted there.

Back in January 2019, we had a big ice storm, and a huge mimosa came down on the side of the house and trellis. The damage to the house was mimimal. He wants to take down the trellis and remove ALL of that mess. It NEEDS to be done. I think he will use his weed dragon on some of that mess. Since it is very close to my house, THAT will have to be quite cautiously done. That hole is enclosed by 3 house walls.

I do NOT use stuff like Round-up and other toxic chemicals around here. There is a bit of downhill incline on two sides to that mess, and run-off would affect about 8 of my rose bushes, and likely kill them all. It would affect my Queen of Sweden (David Austin), two Queen Elizabeth, a burgundy climbing tea rose, my Home Run Knock Out rose, and my parent Fairy Rose bush, and another one I cannot remember the name of. There are some old peonies between two rose bushes also.

Things in containers can be moved temporarily.

It is still too hot and dry to dig my roses up, but can it be done later in the fall when we have had good rains and cooler weather? I think I want to put my rose bushes in containers instead of the ground. Is that okay too? That way IF need be, they could be easily moved around.

There are trumpet vines around these rose bushes and they are a PEST! Hummingbirds love them, but I would be glad to get rid of all of my trumpet vines (they are elsewhere in my yard and have spread to unwelcome places.) The vines are getting under the house siding too. If you don't have trumpet vines, don't get them. I plan to collect ALL the seed pods off of them and burn the pods this fall. Horsey loves to eat the vines, so I will feed her all I can.

I do not expect to transplant my Queen of Sweden and that one I forgot the name of, but the others REALLY need to be moved. The Fairy rose babies that I have moved are doing well.

Should I prune these bushes back before transplanting also? Any other ideas?

 

Yes, you'll need to prune them a little before transplanting them in containers. Roses love to be in soil with a high percentage of clay. As they want the soil to retain water. But at the same time, they hate having wet feet. So we need to make sure that there is adequate drainage. If your soil isn't rich in clay, then you can easily get it from any arts and crafts supply store. Or simply order online. Because I highly recommend doing this, specially for roses.

Roses are propagated by cuttings very easily. So digging the plant out after pruning, and placing in a container should work, (even if some roots get damaged).

Also after pruning, Instead of letting the cuttings go to waste. You can try propagating them. Just apply some rooting hormone to the end of the cuttings before placing them in soil. That way should the mother plant not survive - You'll still have new bushes from the cuttings.

 

Thanks. No worries about clay. The Ozarks soil is red CLAY AND ROCKS here, and in ground they have an abundance of clay.

I have a huge pile of woodchips from when the light company cleaned out under our lines back in the spring, and I intend to use some of them also.

The burgundy tea rose is one I started from cuttings some years ago, but I hope to make more starts from when I prune them.

I will make holes for drainage in my containers. I like to get empty mineral tubs from the feed store when they have them. They are nice and large and only $5.

 

@AAnightowl I transplanted about twentyfive rose bushes when we moved to the current country house. Then when deer found them, I transplanted them to a location where deer are fenced out. They all survived and grew whether itwas spring or fall.

I think it's best to transplant them in fall or spring, not summer or winter. I usually prune them back about half way, before digging them up. I try to get all of the roots, but sometimes they have really deep roots and that isnt possible. Then I use pruners to make clean cuts. If I am going to switch to containers, I hose off all of the old soil, then plant immediately into the container.

I thing roses are generally very tough shrubs. After all, those dormant bare root plants, tightly packaged in moist sawdust, sit for weeks in the big box store and usually survive.

That's my two pesos. Good luck with the big move!

 

Thank you also.

Not all of those roses sitting for weeks wrapped in sawdust in big box stores survive though. I see many dead ones, (as well as other plants), and I stopped buying roses and other plants from certain stores because theirs always die on me. One store was selling dead lemon trees for half price in mid summer...

I will wait for cooler weather and heavy rains before digging them up. That will give me time to get large tubs for them.

 

So far, no heavy rains yet. (October 22, 2023). Also, the feed store has not yet had more empty salt/mineral tubs to sell. I have some funds put back.

Large fancy flower pots are high priced v the empty salt/mineral tubs for $5.

I have not yet dug any of my bushes up.

 

Yesterday we were expecting a heavy freeze overnight, so I harvested my sweet potatoes, and have them in a box indoors to 'cure'... That freed one of my large tubs, so I moved my knock out rose into that tub. Apparently, farmers are hanging on to the tubs, but I still need about 5 or 6 of them for the other rose bushes. We did get into the low 20s last night, and are expecting in the teens tonight. We had some good rain over the weekend also. I harvested other things out in my garden too.

 

My DS was tossing a big heavy plastic cube this week, and it happens to be blue my favorite color. It also has drainage holes installed. I got that and moved another bush this week. I was able to find an extra large flower pot for another rose bush. I will move one tomorrow. Hopefully, I can find a few more tubs and containers this week and finish moving my rose bushes.

We had heavy freezes several nights this past week, and heavy rains last weekend. I did add extra water to my bushes when I was moving them. It made moving them easier.

I also got some tree saplings and shrubs removed and potted for sharing with friends.

 

I finally got enough tubs to move the rest of my rose bushes and a clump of peonies also. Today, I was able to get my Queen of Sweden (David Austin) rosebush moved to one of my tubs. I guess I have had this one awhile, because it has huge roots.

It is rainy today, but I soaked them with the hose anyway. I will see what I can get done on Wednesday as I have to be out all day tomorrow.

 

(Wednesday) I did get my last two rose bushes moved today. Only the Fairy Rose turned out to be about 11 bushes... Some smallish, but most big. I potted what I could find more pots for, and took the rest to church for friends. I also made some cuttings from healthy looking canes. Hopefully they grow, and the cuttings from my burgundy tea rose grow too.

The other bush that I cannot remember the name of had had a tag on it, but it crumbled when I tried to read it. I looked in my tin of plant tags, but did not find it. It is supposed to get a 6 ft spread, but it has the smallest root ball and easiest to dig up.

I was trying to dig up my peony bush, but it is being stubborn even though I had the water running, and even tried the nozzle thingy. I will try some more tomorrow I hope.

 

Peonies can be a real challenge to move. I've moved some. My back was not happy afterwards LOL.

I made some cuttings yesterday from an unknown rose bush that came with the house. It's in front and deer keep eating it. The flowers have an old fashioned look and the stems have old fashioned looking thorns. I wonder if it is a damask rose.

I just stick the cuttings about four inches deep into garden soil. They usually take in Spring.

That's interesting about your fairy rose. Did it start as 11 bushes, or did it send out new starts?

 

The Fairy rose sent out new starts. I thought it was going to be 2 large bushes and a baby to move, but when digging, there were multiple larger ones and several smaller ones. I had already made the cuttings when pruning it back so I could move it. I was not sure it was alive at first, because it had some die-back over the summer probably due to dry weather. I did water it, but it lost a lot of canes anyway. There are still many living canes on it, so they should be fine.

I bought it at ALDIS some years ago as a young bush.

I have moved a few other babies from this bush a year or two ago, and they seem fine also. They have been slow taking off for me, but do well.

Should I fertilize it now, or wait until spring? I would think the wood chips have a lot of nourishment for them.

I am going to start some baking and then head outdoors.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

 

Happy Thanksgiving @AAnightowl!

 

Good sad news! The horse named Star (Sugar Baby) is leaving Friday so the half of my rose garden she ate for years will do well this spring!

 

I hope your horse is going to a good home?

The deer munch on my roses, and they go anywhere they please. My horse is in her pasture unless I have her with me, and she does not bother my roses.

I got my peonies dug out finally this morning, and broke a good shovel doing it. My son thinks we can get a new handle for it? I hope so. It broke right where the metal and the wood handle join together.