Sorry about the slow response. Thank you all so much, this really does help. I'll just leave New Dawn alone for now, which means less work for me this year. The thought of moving a rose bush doesn't sound like much fun at all. I am really seeing the benefit of 'thornless' or 'very little thorns'. I never paid much attention to that when I was choosing roses, but I am going to in the future. I really wanted Felicia to climb a bit and drape over the porch rail eventually. Now I am wondering what the heck I was thinking. She doesn't sound right for that at all. It was my first year with roses and despite all of my research, I obviously got sidetracked somewhere. If I move her, am I going to interrupt any progress she has made so far? I really want a climber where she is, just not one that is too vigorous. A gentle climber. : ) Much to learn! Angela

A grouping does look good. I'd plant them into the garden now so the roots can get established. Even the hardiest roses can die the first winter if the roots have not had an opportunity to grow into the surrounding soil. August is a really hot dry time to transplant a potted rose. Unless you water regularly and deep you could lose them especially if the soil falls from the roots when you transplant. Nature size and planting distance is determined by your growing zone. Pruning can be easy. After each flush of bloom, allow the flowers to fade some. Use a pair of hedge clippers and remove the dead blooms along with a inch or so of cane to shape the bush. In a few weeks new buds will form along with new growth. You'll have more flowers within a month. Yearly pruning should be done in spring. Remove winter killed canes and dieback along with any damaged ones. Cut back as far as you want to shape the bush and keep it in bounds. As much as many rosarians complain about Knock Out being the only roses available in many garden centers, their ease of growing and hardiness encourages many to grow roses again. The desire to grow roses soon entices them to try other varieties.

All my roses are in pots for the reason that I'm a renter and that I like to rearrange roses periodically. I'd echo many of the points already made. I agree growing roses is generally easier in the ground but can be successful in pots. I'm not personally familiar with Austins. The one I recall growing years ago, Graham Thomas, was a sprawling monster not suited to being in a rose bed with bedding roses, let alone in a pot. It also blackspotted horribly, but that's an issue only of concern is some regions and climates. Selecting compact varieties certainly helps. Drainage and good potting medium are key. As already mentioned, lots of tap roots are not helpful in pot culture. I'd just add that this is precisely why I try to avoid roses grafted on Dr. Huey. I don't know what Australia's roses tend to be offered on as far as rootstock. But Dr. Huey rootbounds for me after 2 years. Growing roses on their own roots is my preference for pot culture. They seem to adapt more easily to pot life. If I can only find a variety I'm looking for on Dr. Huey, I'll get it but watch it and plan on root pruning every couple years, or, when appropriate, rooting a cutting from the grafted plant to replace the original. Occasionally a rose doesn't grow well on its own roots. I either give up on it or get it grafted on multiflora or fortuniana. Both have plentiful feeder roots and few to no sprawling taproots. Sometimes I procrastinate about root pruning, but usually by at least 4 year intervals I will do it at winter pruning time and partially replace the soil at the same time. That seems to rejeuvenate the roses. If it doesn't, I replace the offending rose. There are always new varieties on my wish list eager to take the spot. Though potted roses are more trouble in general, one advantage is I can control and ensure good drainage much more easily. Another is that I never struggle with invasive tree roots, which often happens in the ground. Mike

I am soooo confused. Exactly what is a sport? A sport is a spontaneous genetic mutation that has some quality distinctively different from the original. For example, someone in Chicago spotted a flower on their 'Peace' rose that was dramatically different in color than the original--that person rooted that bit of the plant, named the variant 'Chicago Peace' and it is in commerce today. Another mutation besides flower color would be growth habit--an example of a climbing sport would be 'Climbing Peace', which has the same flowers as the original 'Peace', but which has longer, "climbing" canes.