Yes, when they are dormant is a good time to transplant them. You still don't want to disturb the root ball. Keep it as intact as possible when you transplant them. Then keep them well watered and wait to fertilize until they start to leaf out.

Madgallica, I've enjoyed reading your posts over the years, and heeding your advice. Which I DID ask for, I admit. But I am not sure about giving up on some of my baby rose plants because they might not survive in your Zone 5 climate. I just found an online article by a major rosarian in the RI Rose Society, which advises us (there is no mention of very new band-size plants, though) to almost cover the plant with horse manure, a foot deep, for overwintering safely. His garden is in Zone 6, inland RI. My roses are at the edge of Zone 7: the coldest winter temperatures here are above zero. My garden is 800 ft. from the ocean, facing east and south. The nearby presence of the ocean makes the winters less cold and the summers less hot. Is there anyone in this forum who has experience (good or bad) with northeast-coast roses? Maybe someone in New Haven or Mystic CT? I will also ask in the NE forum, and maybe even phone that RIRS rosarian. And also one on Cape Cod. Carol

Lozza, you could impart a lot more information to people if you didn't do it in such condescending and sneering manner.... Yes the various states have their Rose and Horticultural Societies, and yes they usually have people only to willing to help out those seeking information about growing roses, and anything else (I guess I can say I speak from personal experience here, my Mum was a member of the W.A. Rose Society, Gosnells Horticultural Society, accredited Rose and general Horticultural and Floral Art judge with the W.A. Horticultural Council. That was the environment I grew up in. The info was always there at hand.) But today, for the average person just getting going, sure they can ask at their nursery but unless they happen to come across an exhibition being staged somewhere like at one of the big shopping centers, they are not going to come across Rose Society members,or other types of horticultural people or even think about consulting with them. Most of them would be too afraid of being shot down in flames for their ignorance, such as I have seen here,after watching the carrion fowl circling and waiting, after reading back through some of the archived postings.... Wal, listen to Misty, she is already doing it your area so to speak. In the warmer climate, proper dormancy is not going to be achieved; MISTY, do think your roses, when they were under water stress, went dormant? I would choose to do it at the time of the year when the weather was at it's coolest for your area. Although this is probably going to be your driest part of the year it shouldn't be a problem. If you are going to be keeping them in pots, for the purpose of transplanting them into your new garden arrangement, I am sure you will be pretty diligent about watering them. I was always taught that you reduced the canopy by the same degree that you reduced the root mass/ball... I have relocated a lot of roses into pots at one time..., (the ones that I could save from a malevolent ex)(if it were people, I think they call it forced migration) about 300 of them. But because we have such sharp winters here, I could hold of until they were truly dormant. I dug up, with a great deal of grunt and push and effort, (ladies think of childbirth) plants that had been growing in the very fertile Donnybrook soil for about 6 years. Most of the H.T and Floribundas had exceeded their growth stats as described, and as for the D.A.'s, if they weren't 7ft tall, they were 7ft wide, and as for the O.G.R, well, digging them up was another challenge. But we did, a sister and a friend came out to help. Totally backbreaking ... heartbreaking as well, but we got the plants dug up. Then, because the only pots that we had managed to acquire in enough numbers were 10- 12" ones, that's where we made things fit. There were a handful of larger pots, that we managed to put in the larger plants, like my beautiful Albertine. But mainly we dug and heaved and grunted, got the bush free off the...

Good Morning! Thank you everyone for the posts. I'm sure I just panicked when I saw how much dirt and fine roots I was losing. They were 7 gallon clay pots and from now on I'm planning on plastic pots for much easier removal! I had them in the pots for over 2 years so I had pretty good roots. It seems to me if you can plant bare root roses like the two I have so far and have them thrive I would hope these would be fine. I definately think the clay pots are out except I think I'm investing in a couple 15 gallon ones for somewhat perminant potted roses. My Lady Shallot LOVES its large pot and is the earliest with new growth the past two Springs. I read somewhere when I decided to purchase it that it was a good D. A. for a pot! I've got Spring fever!!!