I am slightly confused - are you moving from one home in Sacramento to another home in Sacramento?

If that is correct, I would definitely take cuttings. They (at least for me) take several months to root, so let's say you have rooted cuttings by Nov. Then, I would pot them up to a one gallon pot, and keep them in that for another year (I use clay pots because the black plastic ones get too hot in the sun). I put mine outside in the shade at first, and then gradually move them into partial sun, and then sun. In Sacramento I might not put them in full sun in the afternoon - don't want to cook them!

By November of 2016 you will know more about what kind of weather we had in the winter of 2015 (when they are predicting heavy rain, etc). If the drought had eased, Nov 2016 would be the perfect month to plant your roses in the ground, so they would get rained on all winter (we would hope) and get established.

I grow all three of the roses you mentioned. Sombreuil will definitely grow up a tree, assuming the tree is not too small. In my garden I have a Sombreuil which has grown 30 feet up our house.

The other two love heat, so I would go for it. I might plant them in less sun than I would here, because no matter whether there is a drought or not, Sac gets ridiculously hot in the summertime.

Jackie

Why can't you just dig up your roses, put them in a pot, replace them with something on sale at HD or any garden center, and bring them with you? Cuttings don't always work out so well.

I'm sorry I didn't clarify. I Am moving from one house in the Sacramento area to another in the same area. I felt it might be rude to dig up my roses? They were with the house when it was shown. Not that they were flowering in this heat! It is good to know that sombreuil will grow up a tree!!! She is such a favorite of mine!!

andreajoy, your roses are very special to you, but they might not be special to the buyer. For all you know, they might not like the care that roses take, and might just rip them out, especially during this drought. I'd replace them with roses on sale. They won't likely know the difference.

This house was an overgrown mess when we bought it, and there was a dormant huge nasty thorny rose, so big it blocked our view. We ripped it out only to find out later that it was a David Austin rose... I am comforted knowing that it was in the wrong place. Sigh.

I just thought of something else. Could you do air layers on your roses? I'm doing some this week on my fig trees. Simple to do, and they root quickly.

I too would ask the buyer if they minded if you took your roses with you and replaced them with other roses. Ten to one, the new buyers won't even notice you replaced them or cared if you choose not to ask. Most people see roses as too much work and don't know one rose from another.

When you dig them up, do you cut them WAY back and sever the roots? My Sombreuil scares me!

Are any of you california gardeners having any luck with any other roses in this drought?

Lots of them. But the Teas and Chinas seem to handle it best -- Austins and Hybrid Musks suffer most.

I've found that almost any rose in a hot climate is happiest with morning sun and afternoon, and especially late afternoon, shade. I had to move some roses that were slowly declining in an area with afternoon sun and they're now sprouting new growth in their improved location. Another thing I've found is that they do best when planted below the level of the surrounding soil with a large area around them that will hold quite a bit of water, and then deep-watering them at least twice a week. One rose that is excellent for me, and should do equally well for you, is Souvenir de la Malmaison, which seems to like it warm and dry. I had one and have now added two more since they bloom more than any other rose I have and are really beautiful. I also favor tea roses but personally don't care for many Chinas (although other people adore them) with the huge exception of Mutabilis, which is one of my favorite roses. Of the Austins the ones that do best for me are Bishop's Castle and Carding Mill, although they are two of the roses that I moved to a shadier afternoon location. I would utilize every location in your garden that does not have brutal afternoon heat for your roses. If your soil has some clay in it all the better, since it retains water, which my decomposed granite does not do well. Hope this helps!

Or you could simply get new roses of the same exact varieties.

All three are at least somewhat available, Sombreuil from several sources. That way you could simply plant the new ones and not worry about what the buyer might or might not say, or worry about whether or not they survive transplanting or strike when you try to root them.

I'd take cuttings of roses I could not replace, or ones that had a strong sentimental attachment, but that is not the case with these rose.

Rosefolly

It is common for the new owners of a home to not want your garden plants. I heard from a friend who used to post regularly here that she has moved after ten years. She left many hundreds of roses behind and the landlord had cemented over them within two weeks of taking occupancy. If you can move the plants safely and leave the area looking decent afterward, AND you want to hassle it, do it. If you don't want to, don't. Moving is a huge enough imposition without worrying about plants.