I am totally confused about transplanting roses. I live in Zone 4.....I need to transplant many roses that weren't planted deep enough in June. (by someone else) We have not had out first freeze yet, but expect one in the next week or so. Should I attempt now? I keep reading that you should wait until the plant is dormat, ie. the leaves have fallen off. My roses are still blooming and covered with leaves. Would it be better to cover them completely and wait until spring? Please help! Thanks, Carol
i would wait for spring. i'd just mulch the root area very well to protect the roots from the cold. a layer of crushed leaves 6-8 inches deep will do fine.
Thanks! I will wait until spring....and cover them really well, as the bud unions are above ground completely. I think I will worry about them all winter! Carol
Yes, I am collecting what I need to cover them. I am planning on using some aged manure and peat moss with a rose collar......and I have plenty of wood chips from Russian Olives. I will cover them completely...well, at least 12 inches after I prune them back. Does all that sound right? Also, being I'm asking questoins, in the spring, do I transplant right away? I know I'm not supposed to do it during the blooming season. Thanks! Carol
Growers lift in fall and store over winter, to facilitate filling orders in late winter and spring. I think a common time for digging is November, but maybe this actually varies quite a bit regionally. In your zone it might be too late. Anyway the point is they get cut back and dug up in fall to suit commercial practice and grow later, so I wouldn't worry about doing the same to yours - get it done in time for them to have been in the new site for awhile before severe weather arrives. Since you are re-planting them you can get the depth right at that time, removing the need to do more than the usual winter protection for your zone. I would not use a bunch of different ingredients, just one suitable material like loose soil or mulch should be adequate. Where it is cold enough and the kinds of roses planted tender enough - perhaps the case here - roses may actually be lain on their sides in trenches dug out of well-drained soil to live through the winter that way, in a similar fashion to storing them in buildings.
I have heard of that Minnesota tip method, but I have so many roses, it seems to be waaayyy too labor intensive..... for this year anyway. :) I really appreciate all your advice and I won't use a variety of materials to cover like you said. I contacted a nursery near here and they finally emailed me back They too said for our area to wait until the spring after the danger of frost is past and then move the roses. Good luck to you (and me too!) as we continue in this gardening quest! Carol
