Moving roses

Okay, so I have this gorgeous rose bush that I bought a couple years ago from Walmart as a bare root plant. It survived my wonderful beastly dog digging it out of the ground and chewing on the end of the roots (still not sure WHY he did it since he's not a digger at all and has never done it since). It was labeled as a "Queen Elizabeth," which are supposed to be a pretty pale shade of pink (my favorite color is pink). Well, last year when it bloomed, it came out this gorgeous light pink shot through with white. Absolutely stunning.

So, onto my problem. I am moving soon (within the next month or two) and really, really, really don't want to leave this one rose behind (I have two other roses I planted, but I'm not as concerned about them since they're more common red varieties). I was fine with it when it was my brother who was going to be moving into the house after I left, but now my parents are going to sell the house. I don't want anyone else having my rose and potentially killing it! lol Selfish, I know, but it is what it is and I make no excuses. Anyway, the bush isn't very big (maybe knee height and not very full), so do you think it would be okay to transplant the bush to a nice, big pot so I could take it with me?

 

I believe you will need to dig a hole slightly bigger than the circumference of the bush itself, to avoid damaging the roots, it would be better to wait until you can trancplant it the same day, and I think its best to do it in the fall, I haven't had to move any of mine yet, I almost don't want to ever move, as my 7 rosebushes, two beauty of moscow lilacs, and all my peonys and iris... pretty much everything exspecially things that where divisions from my grandmother's garden, will have to come with me. Anyway, when you get it moved, water it in well and it should pull through.

 

yes you can move, me and my mom moved the bush from the front to the backyard, what we did is we dug about two feet down and a feet or so around the base of the bush, than we slowly chipped away until we can see roots, than we filled a bucket up with soil and than we moved it

I did the same to my uncles rose bush and other plants when they moved to another house that was 30mins away, I see no problem with what you want to do, just don't hit the roots

uhmm my rose bush was a little less than knee high for me, it was still a baby, so the roots werent that massive yet

 

The thing is, I want to move it from the ground to a pot. I'm moving to a rental house and don't want to plant the rose there because I'll just have to uproot it again when I move. So, do you think it'll be okay in a (BIG) pot? I've transplanted roses from one location to another before, but never from the ground to a pot.

 

oh I have never done ground to pot, that I don't know about =[ maybe buy a 120 gallon and plant it there XD can't be heavier than a tank full of water haha

 

Yep you can move it to a big pot. Just makes sure the the circumference of the pot is a few inches wider then the root clump of the rose.

 

If I'm going to buy a 120gal tank, I'm sure as heck not gonna waste it on a rose! ROFL!

AWESOME! Thanks, RougeAgent! My mom has a pot that is definitely bigger than the circumference of the roots on the rose, so we're good.

 

My pleasure

Since your replanting it in a pot you might as well take the chance to add some rose food to the middle layer of the soil. It worked best for me.

 

Yeah, I was planning on using a really rich soil (bagged soil since the soil in my area kinda sucks...really bad ), as well as rose food and supplements and such.

 

If I'm going to buy a 120gal tank, I'm sure as heck not gonna waste it on a rose! ROFL!

AWESOME! Thanks, RougeAgent! My mom has a pot that is definitely bigger than the circumference of the roots on the rose, so we're good.

uhhhhh I wouldnt too

 

OK, here's what you do (I worked for Jackson & Perkins for 15 years).....

Use a half whiskey barrel and transplant your rose into it. This will give the plant plenty of root space as well as enough dirt to try to keep the moisture at the roots during your very hot summers. Keep the root ball as intact as possible and plant in potting soil. Depending on your current temperatures, you may need to water 1-2 times per day initially. NEVER let the roots dry out or the plant will go into full shock and drop all its leaves. Also, while the plant is rooting, keep it in filtered light and not direct sunlight.

If you are anything like my Mother, you'll not like this next step, but you need to give it a good pruning. Remove all blooms that may be forming. You want the plant to root in the barrel and not spend its energy on flowering.

Ideally, roses should not be moved while fully leafed out. But, it can be done with a lot of care.

Good luck.

 

Use a half whiskey barrel and transplant your rose into it. This will give the plant plenty of root space as well as enough dirt to try to keep the moisture at the roots during your very hot summers. Keep the root ball as intact as possible and plant in potting soil. Depending on your current temperatures, you may need to water 1-2 times per day initially. NEVER let the roots dry out or the plant will go into full shock and drop all its leaves. Also, while the plant is rooting, keep it in filtered light and not direct sunlight.

If you are anything like my Mother, you'll not like this next step, but you need to give it a good pruning. Remove all blooms that may be forming. You want the plant to root in the barrel and not spend its energy on flowering.

+1

 

Sweet! Thanks, Dena. That's awesome. I was hoping to do this soon and it's been really cool lately, so I think it'll be perfect (we didn't even reach 60F today).

Maybe a stupid question, but as I tell my kids I teach, "The only stupid question is the one you don't ask...": Is a half whiskey barrel something I could get at a garden shop/nursery? I know what one is, I'm just not sure where to get one.

 

You are quite welcome. All that gardening knowledge is rotting in my brain since JP was sold and is no longer part of the company I work for.

Yes, any garden center/nursery should have the barrels. And make sure you use potting soil. Lately I've been purchasing Miracle Grow soil that is mixed with osmocote, so it already has the ferts covered. My potted plants love it. It will take 1-2 large bags...depending on how large the root ball is. If you're concerned about drainage, you can also add rocks, broken pottery, etc and then top with a couple inches of soil. Just make sure the top of the root ball is level with the top of the dirt in your barrel.

I have several roses, even a Hakuro NishikI Willow Tree, in barrels.

 

Awesome! I'll have to check prices tomorrow after work on the barrel. I know my mom has one, but she uses it to plant flowers in every summer. I'll be sure to get two bags of potting soil. Anything that's leftover, I'm sure my mom will be able to find a use for.

 

I was just getting ready to reply "be careful because a rose will not winter over in a pot" BUTTTT I see that you live in AZ which would be perfect. I wish I didn't have to haul everything into the garage or basement. Roses have to be trimmed, insulated, and covered here for them to make it the next year.