Roses move pretty much like any other perennial, just fine. So it shouldn't be any problem for you. It depends on how long you think you're going to have them out of the bed for revamping whether you want to pot them or plant them. If you feel it will only be a short time and before the high heat of summer sets in then you can go ahead and pot them up short term. If it's going to take a good part of the summer then I'd plant them in the holding bed until next spring. I've grown roses in pots as permanent places and I've moved roses in July when it was very hot and they've survived fine but those aren't the best of conditions. Prepare the new holes before you dig them out. If the rose is very large or very tall you can prune it back some before moving it so it will be easier to handle. Try to dig as much root ball as you can and disturb it as little as possible. You can put it in a wheel barrow or on a tarp to drag it if it's very large and heavy. Get it planted into it's new place quickly and keep it well watered but not soggy and don't fertilize it for the first week or so until you begin to see new growth. Then you can go to a regular feeding and watering schedule. When you replant them into the finished bed you do the same thing. If you decide to pot them get big pots, make sure there are lots of drainage holes in them and take off any trays that are on the bottom of the pots. Only use good quality potting soil, not garden soil, in the pots. Regular dirt is too heavy and will not drain properly in a pot. Which means you'll have to pretty much bare root the roses. Do this by digging out the root ball and then very gently rinsing them with a hose until most of the soil is gone and then potting them up. Then do the same thing as with the ground planted ones, keep watered and wait to see new growth before fertilizing. If you are going to use anykind of herbicide on those weeds and grasses I'd plant them and wait until next year to put them back so that the herbicide is completely gone from that new bed. Herbicides do nasty things to roses. Good luck and I look forward to seeing pictures of your new beds and beautiful roses!

Hey, Buford, glad you're working on your plan. Year before last (I think) I gave away a bunch of good-sized roses to Rose Petals Nursery. I dug up some and Cyd's husband dug up some big ones. I was amazed at how roughly he dug them up. (I didn't fret out loud because they weren't mine anymore, but I would have been pitching fits if they were staying in my gardens. I can still feel the palpitations!) To get to the good end of the story, they all did fine in their garden - no problems whatsoever. And just so you know, my soil instantly falls away from the roots. They were literally bare-rooted, and the remaining roots were rarely two feet long, sometimes much less. And THEN they put them DRY in their closed trailer (some were in buckets of water; the ones I dug were potted) and made the hour drive in the Florida heat. I expected to hear that some had perished, but Cyd has kept me informed that they have flourished which only made me feel bad because they were so scraggly in my garden. I'm assuming you have Georgia clay which will make the rootball exceedingly heavy to move. So I'm wondering if you 1) shouldn't have someone burlier than you dig them up (they will have very thick roots and a tap root) and 2) possibly you could bare-root them for the move if the rootball is too heavy, either repotting them or using your backyard bed as you mentioned. How much can a 3x3 or 4x4 chunk of clay weigh? Lots and lots. The ones they took were Arcadia Louisiana Tea, General Schablikine, Enchantress, Souv de Francois Gaulain, Blush Noisette, LeVesuve, Crepuscule, another noisette, and Parade. Previously I had given her Cl SDLM and E. Veyrat Hermanos (who was HUGE). Also, I did no trimming on them, figuring I would let them do it as they wished (when I've done it I wait for dieback and trim accordingly). I believe we were into our spring weather which is at least 70's and sunny. Just wear long sleeves and long pants. Hopefully, you can get one of the guys to do the digging. :) Sherry Here is a link that might be useful: If only sweat were irrigation...

I checked the Hosta Library and googled other sites and Fragrant Bouquet doesn't have the puckering seersucker texture that I have. I tried the Budd Garden link with the categorized hosta and it doesn't appear to exactly match anything shown. I bought it two years ago, but since it was donated to the plant sale by a fellow gardener - who knows how old or new a variety it is? I may have to wait and photograph the flower scapes when they come... are there any other suggestions? BettyLu

Oh my, Theresa. I know the feeling as I have to battle squirrels digging out my newly planted impatiens in pots. It's a constant running battle here vs chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits & deer. Fortunately, our lab has taken care of any ground hogs & possums that are dumb enough to pass thru as well as a few rabbits, if he can get to 'em but he's fenced in to the back yard. Anyhoo, a few more things to try... I surround new plantings with small pieces of flagstone, leaving a bit of air space around each stone. This really helps a lot but you have to be extra careful about getting the plant too wet because the stones inhibit the soil from drying out. A couple of years ago, being a chili head, I bought a pound of ground chipotle pepper (online from Atlantic Spice ). Well, this stuff is hot beyond belief and I quickly deduced that one pound was a lifetime & a half supply...in the kitchen. So I'm using it in the garden, sprinkling it on hosta leaves to ward off critters. (I'm wondering the the smokey smell also has something to do with keeping critters away?) I also tent vulnerable plantings with pieces of that black plastic deer netting. Drape and weight down with flagstone pieces or bend wires & twist tie it to the wires. The netting 'disappears' with a bit of distance so it's not an eyesore unless you're real closeup. Rat traps baited with peanut butter will, with persistence, thin out the chipper population. Once, I caught a squirrel in a rat trap, even. Strategically placed mouse traps might scare off squirrels? (Haven't tried but I do know that squirrels have a memory of stuff that scares them (DH & the pellet gun). Haven't tried it yet but after reading about Vick's Vapo Rub here on the forum, I'm going to try smearing that on the rocks or onto 'tags' cut from paper fiber egg cartons. Another things I've not tried...but think I will. I have some mirrors that I've picked up at garage sales that I use to 'boost' the sun for things like green pepper plants...wondering if smaller pieces of mirror, propped up, might spook away the squirrels? You'd have to be xtra careful with glass in the garden & position the mirror in such a direction as to not burn the plant. If all else fails, you could try growing poor little Cracker Crumbs in a terrarium, I guess!