Fruitnut, generally I don't think balancing top to root is necessary if you are talking about vegetative wood, but with peaches I want to keep energy in the interior, so I would prune them back to make sure I wasn't encouraging die back in the interior just for the sake of starting with a wider spread. No fruit on moving year! Pick off the flowers. If the apples are starting to spur up by the time they are moved I would prune for vigor and remove all pendulous growth and most of the spur wood, cutting back to small uprights where possible. Japanese plums laugh at root damage from transplant so I would simply prune them as I would anyway. My second statement went out before yours appeared- I hadn't even considered BandBing but that is especially useful for pears, from what I've seen, and if someone wants to go to that trouble they could put pears directly in the ground instead of pots. I never ball and burlap anything, and I don't even have experience doing it. If I was anywhere near the craftsman you are I'd probably do it more. It is too tedious for my disposition.

I hate to go there, I'm going one more organic year with plants in the ground. Bugs or soil, one is as bad as the other. I hosed them off pretty good drowning them. I wonder what those little white things they carry in their mouths are? I think they are eggs and they are all over my plants. I hosed them twice. If they can't burrow into the plants, I'll just treat it by drowning. I didn't know ants ate aphids. I don't see those as often as other bugs.

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!

small stuff .... plastic bag with the soil attached tot he plant ... make a big pile in full shade.. the bag is really there.. simply for transport ... and should be left open.. so you can water ... bigger stuff.. garbage bag ... potting is a lot of work.. and the cost of media... etc ... and probably way over the top.. for a week or 10 day hold over .... but do clarify what is foo .. and what is not.. as compared to what is precious ... not everything is important ... only focus on the ones that are ... i have seen rugosa roses on cape cod.. just off the sea... and conceptualizing the affect of salt air and beach sand .. i would suggest that most of them.. could be run over with a truck.. repeatedly.. and still come back .... if true rugosa... they arent even grafted ... might ask in the rose forum ... and the tree.. dig a new hole .... and plop the large plant in it.. and perhaps.. let it get over the stress.. and dont move it back.. until fall .. though it is gorgeous this week in SE MI .... it is august ... so.. one stress at a time.. and even better.. if you could just find a new home for it.. in your own garden.. so you dont have to move it again ... all that said.. go zen on it.. any losses.. should just be considered a part of the cost of the wall job .... so what.. all the more reason to go buy some new things... and do get some before and after pix.. i am really interested ... ken ps: was it you.. who borrowed a nursery cart.. and walked home a plant.. that you realized you could never lift out of your car ... i was mentioning that the other day ...