Transplanting Roses in Spring

Discussion in 'Rosa (roses)' started by bud_union, Apr 12, 2006.

  1. bud_union

    bud_union Member

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    Location:
    vancouver bc
    I'm a New Member with an "Old Question"??
    Thanks for the opportunity to access the wealth of knowledge on this site.
    My Challenge: I'm moving and have to transplant mature rose bushes within the next
    week.
    Location: Within the Lower Mainland
    Status of Roses: Already flowering
    Question #1 Preparing roses bushes for the move...what should I do?
    Question #2 Preparation of new site...what's necassary to prepare their new bed
    to give them the best chance of survival?
    Question #3 They will be located in an existing rose garden. The roses there are not in
    the best condition...showing signs of some disease.
    Any thoughts or advice would be truly appreciated.
    Thanks...Bud
     
  2. Weekend Gardener

    Weekend Gardener Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    Coquitlam, BC
    Your roses are already flowering? Mine have only just started to leaf out - not even any signs of buds yet. What varieties do you have?
     
  3. bud_union

    bud_union Member

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    Thanks for the reply "Weekend"
    My answer will not give you much information. The roses were mature when I moved into this home almost 20 years ago.
    The only thing I can tell you is that they have large flowers and are very fragrant.
    Sorry I don't have more information for you. 'Bud'
     
  4. Laurie

    Laurie Active Member Maple Society 10 Years

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    Location:
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    I am not aware of any roses that bloom in this area in early April. The earliest roses to bloom here are a few of the single species and hybrid species in late April and early May. Do you have any photographs that you can attach? We should be sure that we are talking about roses before we advise on how to and where to move them. Otherwise let us know where this tropical microclimate of Vancouver is located! The first thing that you would do is to give them a really really deep watering. At this time and in this climate, it is going to be safe to prune the bushes to your typical spring pruning height and dig them out. I have always been taught that roses love to be transplanted in spring. It seems that they are going to be easier to handle in the move if the canes are less than say 24". How many bushes do you have in the old bed and how many bushes in the new bed? If you have five-gallon or bigger pots or large garbage bags that these can be placed into for a while that would help because you should clean up the bed where you want to plant these. They should be kept constantly moist during this process. You can even put them in large buckets of water for a couple of days.

    You do not want to plant into a bed of disease so if it is particularly bad, remove the top layer of soil in the new bed, prune the new bushes, and continue to remove any new growth showing black spot or powdery mildew. You can even dig up the roses in the new bed if you want to move them around. You may be suggesting that they are not as vigorous as your older bushes so they may benefit from the same treatment. You do not need to add anything to the soil at planting for these roses to survive, but if you wish to add organic fertilizers, it is certainly easier to add them in the hole now rather than digging them in later. It would be great to add bone meal or super-phosphate to each hole if you can to help establish a good root system. Otherwise, if you can afford it since these are expensive even in 50-pound bags, I add one cup of fish meal, some bloodmeal if I have it, one cup of bone meal, and less than one cup of kelp meal to each hole or pot at planting time.
     
  5. bud_union

    bud_union Member

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    Hi Laurie
    Thank you very much for taking the time to write such a thorough reply. Your advice is terrific and much appreciated.
    I will try to get a photo taken of these mysterious roses and would be happy to forward it.
    The new (existing) bed to which these will be added has four rose plants, one of them being a very healthy climbing rose. The bushes are in varying degrees of "health" and I have removed one which has died.
    The old bed is the one from which the roses will be removed and they are the only ones there.
    With your sound recommendations in hand I'll follow the directions you outlined and will get those photos before moving them.
    PS: The 'microclimate' is in the west side of Coquitlam. As you may gather from the
    questions I asked my knowledge is limited. Perhaps they are blooming now
    because I talk to them nicely.
    Thank you once again. Bud
     
  6. bud_union

    bud_union Member

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    From: bud_union
    To: All who responded
    Subject: Transplanting roses

    Dear Friends

    Well, here I am with hat in hand and red faced (unlike my roses which have no red flowers or flowers of any colour yet).

    Upon viewing my roses I discovered that they are not in bloom at all. A relative of mine who is looking after these roses during my absence informed me how big the blooms were and how fragrent they smelled. I mistakenly understood this to mean that they were in bloom already. So much for the Coquitlam micro-climate.

    Much to my embarassment, I discovered they aren't blossoming at all. However they are showing a healthy amount of leafs and will be transplated within a week. Hopefully it will be a positive and "moving experience".

    I'd like to thanks those who offered me valuable advice on how to move them properly and with the best chance of success.

    I hope you don't feel this was a fickle request and once again I thank you for helping.

    Signed: Bud ( a grateful and humble gardener)
     
  7. Laurie

    Laurie Active Member Maple Society 10 Years

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    Location:
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    I thought that it was simply not possible that you were speaking of roses in bloom, even if you have a greenhouse, so as I was tending to my roses this last beautifully sunny week, I thought of you and worried that you were moving some other plant, which was in full bloom, thinking that it was safe to do so. Thank-you for letting us know that you do indeed have roses, and that your move will be a success.
     
  8. Cathy W

    Cathy W Member

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    Location:
    Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA
    Reminds me of a prank my kids played on me a few years ago. I was really struggling to save a John F. Kennedy hybrid tea that had been injured when a tree came down in a storm and fell on it. And yes, I talk to all 80 or so of mine as well! It had responded nicely to my coddling and a daily dose of “You are so Beautiful to Me” sung pretty much on key and was just starting to really come back.

    I was hoping it would set buds but that had not yet happened when I had to go away to a weeklong conference. I implored my teenaged sons to take good care of that plant for me. Every day they emailed me a progress report. They were adamant that the day I left, they spotted some buds and as the week went on they described the flowers opening and assured me that despite my skepticism, it was in full bloom the day I was returning. I arrived home to see gorgeous blooms on this poor little plant - they had taped silk flowers to it!

    We got a good laugh, and now he blooms with pride every year!
     

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