It will be much easier on you and the plant to move them now. Roots are still on the small side and they do not have a mass of branches that can be very difficult to deal with as they get older. It is good that you saw the problem this early. I would not do anything for fertilizer, above what you have done to amend the soil.
Don

Don, thank you! I was thinking the same thing...but with the super heat of summer almost upon us, would it be safer to wait until October/November when it cools off?

Also, I don't have anything else planted around my roses right now, so the bed, which is quite large, looks very empty, even though it is overcrowded with roses! I know I can put in some annuals to fill in, but that get so expensive each year. Any suggestions?

It is better to wait until it's cooler to be safe. I have two big roses I'm going to have to move now, and I wish I could wait till cooler weather. I also wish I'd moved them when they were younger :) I was moving other ones, lol. Definitely move them this year.

There are pretty re-seeding annuals that you could use to fill in. I like cornflowers and rose campion, and they re-seed. I also use a lot of nepeta, because it spreads easily if I like in my new, bare beds. It looks good quickly (and is practically no-care, even in the heat here). Then I dig it out when things mature and need room.

I could mail you lots of starts of that if you like, for postage. Drop me a line :)

You make it spread by pegging down a stalk or two of it and covering that with dirt. So you can have lots of feet of it quickly. Or the little starts you pull off from the mother plant can be planted farther away and they get big fast, too.

I'd wait till it's cooler. If you move them now they might get stressed by both the move AND the heat.

How hot is it there right now? If it's in the 80s you should be fine. I moved a bunch of roses one summer when it was in the 90s and they all lived but I knew that was pushing it a little. Since they're newly planted this year I'd want to move them sooner rather than later when they've completely settled and grown in. It's pretty much a coin toss either way.

I would wait until it cools down in fall, and then move the roses. To fill in around them, I agree with Meredith's ideas. Find out what's good in your area in the way of reseeding annuals and biennials, bulbs, and small perennials. I like plants around my roses too. How would the following do for you? perennial pinks, calendulas, small lavenders, thyme, bearded irises, possibly some of the smaller varieties (they do spread). These are some of the plants I grow, but if you're in a humid area they might not like it. Ask around, there will be plenty of possibilities, but I don't know what, in your conditions.

Cant really offer any advice about when to move, but here is a little story about moving roses. Years ago, I had built lovely new beds for my roses. I was very pregnant......due in a few weeks and it was in July in east Texas and hot as blazes. I had to move the roses - knew if I didnt, wouldnt have another chance. So I moved them. I mulched them well and I watered them daily. Missed a few days while I had my son........but would run out and water while he was sleeping. I didnt lose a one. I attribute it to pruning them back and watering constantly. Beds were raised and great soil, so they didnt get waterlogged. If you decide to move them now, I would trim them back and water well consistently. It isnt as hot now as its going to be - and we just got nearly 6" of rain last nite so if your place is as waterlogged as mine.....now would be a great time to move them. Oh, and let me add.....before I dug mine up, I completely soaked the bed really well - so they were well watered when I dug them up. Good luck whatever you decide! Since they are from ARE and are old garden roses, they are tough and will most likely do fine. The ones I moved were hybrid teas and floibundas - if they made it, I am sure your wonderful ARE roses will do fine.

Rachel, this time last year, and through the hot summer, I was moving roses and planting new ones. I never lost any, they all thrived. I've been transplanting roses now, and have a couple more to go, and they've had some transplant shock, but otherwise are doing well. It isn't too hot to move them, just keep them watered well for a while afterwards. It's 68ð right now and will go up to about 90ð, and that certainly isn't too hot to move roses or anything else. Yours haven't been in the ground long enough to have a large root system. I moved one that has been in the ground for about 15 years. It's sulking right now, but I expect it to be fine.

Meredith--you are so kind! Thank you for the offer, I sent you an email!

Harborrose--I'm such a newbie, I had no idea there was even such a thing as wintersowing! I learn so much...thank you for the tip. I'm going to check it out!

You have all been so gracious...I think I'm going to just go for it...it's pretty hot here already, lows in the low 70s, highs in the mid-90s. If my honey can dig the new beds this week while I'm out of town, I'm going to do it!

And alameda--I laughed when I read your story! I remember being pregnant in blazing July heat! But you encouraged me to just get it done!

Rachel

Rachel, as you said, the super heat of summer is almost upon us -- the safest thing is to wait until late fall or a mild winter day. Yes, you could move them now, but there is the possibility of losing them to an extended drought and to 100 degree days of intense sun. Yes, it's easier to move them when they are newly planted and their roots aren't extended very far, but I wouldn't chance it. I've moved plants in May and lost them. We've had a very mild spring, but we don't know what the summer holds for us. If you do decide to move them, water consistently for weeks and you might want to rig some kind of shade cover the first few weeks. ARE sends good plants, but I'm remembering a healthy Mrs Dudley Cross that I lost and a healthy Belinda's Dream that I almost lost - she is now in recovery. It might also make a difference if you have a lot of clay in your soil to retain moisture. (Don't know what part of Texas you're in.) Survival depends on whether you are consistent in caring for them on those days that aren't fit for man or beast and whether you care to gamble on losing them. Just a thought. You might be very successful. Lou

Rachel, I've been following the responses to see what others are saying, and as you may have gleaned, your situation falls in that grey area that tests a gardener's intestinal fortitude or foolhardiness, depending on the results. In my history, I've been both a do-it-and-be-darned kind of gardener and a cautious one. I've never installed rose beds during a TX July while pregnant! My mother installed lawn plugs 18" on center while 9 months pregnant with my sister, but that was in the late fall. If you decide to move the plants, please do heed the water and shade advice from Lou. Shade tarps (which are mesh for air circulation) are available at home and garden stores. They can be used over and over again. Also, Lou's water advice was sound and I'd like to add my, perhaps obvious, strategy to hers. Disturb as little of the root system as you can. Pick up the soil and all. Pretend that you are picking up a sleeping baby and transferring her from the car seat to the crib. Parents make some of the most interesting gardeners. By the by, I love ARE and its roses. Good luck! --Carol (TX to OR transplant)

Your roses are not going to grow or establish a huge root system in one summer, so the safest course of action is to wait until fall and cooler weather. If you are determined to move them now you have 10x the work than if you wait and a lower success rate than if you wait -- must water every day to keep them alive and need to dig a larger root ball so as to disturb the roots as little possible to prevent shock, etc.

Rachel, just thought of something you might find interesting if you decide to move the roses now. Last year I built a hoop house over some new daylilies that I had in raised beds - these beds are in full, all day sun. Daylilies like sun, but the brutal Tx. sun can get a bit much. So I got some 2-3' pieces of rebar at Lowe's and hammered them in the ground at intervals. I had a bunch of leftover PVC pipe from running water lines for horse waterers. I cut them the length I wanted and stuck the ends of the PVC over the rebar. Then I got some sun fabric from Home Depot - Lowes didnt have it. Cut it the length I wanted and zip-tied it to the pvc. Works like a charm. I took it off for the spring blooming period, but after the daylilies have finished blooming and the July sun starts to blister everything, I will put the sun fabric back up. You could easily do this over your roses - and can easily take it down when they no longer need it. I am no expert like so many of the real knowlegable rosarians on this forum, but if I wanted to move roses now, I would just go do it. But the deal is - you must have your beds ready before you move the roses. My beds were raised and had all the great soil in them and it had settled in - the beds were just begging for roses. I knew I was taking a chance but just couldnt stand it. I knew, after the baby was born, I could easily stand there with a water hose, but if I'd had to have a C section, which I didnt, it would be a long time before I could dig. The epsiotomy was bad enough, no way I could have dug roses for a good 6 weeks or more.....so good thing I moved them while I was able. I can certainly see the wisdom in waiting til its cold and the plants are going dormant - but in my case, I was too impatient to wait for fall. As it turned out......by watering every day, they stayed hydrated and they never missed a beat and I didnt lose a one. I dug the holes in the new bed for them before I dug them - put them right in the new hole, "mudded" them in, then raked the rest of the soil over them, watered again. I also sprayed the leaves when I watered. Once every 2 weeks I used a weak solution to spray for blackspot. Good luck whatever you decide!

Alameda

No guts, no glory! You go, rosegrrrl! :-)

Carol

This post was edited by PortlandMysteryRose on Mon, Jun 3, 13 at 16:56

I had to move a large Monsieur Tillieur' this year, in my garden near San Francisco ,California, and I was apprehensive because the tempetures were already in the high 70"s, we made sure we got all the root ball and then moved it.
-then I saturated the ground, beneath the canopy for 3 days in a row, because usually I see signs of dehydration in rosebushes that have been moved in the growing season. I let the hose run, until the ground could absorb no more water.
The rosebush showed No sign of distress and the rosebuds that covered the plant stayed on the plant!
-no leaves drooped either, which is a sign of dehydration I often see in rosebushes that have been recently moved.
The plant had a normal flush of bloom within 3 weeks.
I repeated this with a neighbors red Hybrid Tea rosebush a few weeks later, with the same results.
I have never seen rosebushes respond so well to being moved. I've seen rosebushes drop leaves after being moved in the growing season and some stop blooming for 3 months after the move.

I'd wait until the temperatures drop to the 70"s or lower in the autumn. Then move and saturate.

After those first 3 days I resumed my usual watering schedule for the Tea, beccause Tea roses usually do not like to have wet roots.

Best wishes,
Lux

Rachel, you're getting all sorts of responses here.

I suggest you call or e-mail ARE and ask them. Tell them when you planted them. They are closer to you, and can give you the best advice, I think.

I guess I should be suffering frequent death to my roses. I did not realize that moving roses in well amended soil with frequent watering was so dangerous in the 90 degree heat we have. I will have to cut off their forum access so they do not realize that I place their future in danger.
Don

Well, I moved several and planted several new ones last summer and didn't lose any. But cutting off their forum access sounds like a good thing, they may want you to get more to keep them company!

Rachel, I replied via GW's mail system and it might not have gone through. I got yours, so that's working. I hate GW mail (or it hates me, anyway). No rush at all, either! I just wanted to let you know.

Rachel, I replied via GW's mail system and it might not have gone through. I got yours, so that's working. I hate GW mail (or it hates me, anyway). No rush at all, either! I just wanted to let you know.