moving a rose bush

[Turtle]

I have some sort of wild rose bush in my front yard. Never really paid any attention to it, but when pruning trees to give my lilacs some more sun, noticed that the stem (?) grows up about a foot and then makes almost a 90' turn and an upward slant for almost 2-3 feet in an effort to get sunlight. I figure I should dig it up and move it to a better location. My question is when should I do this, and where is the best place to put it. I'm in Canada. Think North of Minnesota. Cold winters, usually lots of snow, no one plants till after the end of May and I get a lot of sun in my yard. Thanks in advance.
PS: I'm really not good with plants of any sort, so simple, easy, cheap fixes are what I need.

[JPIXI]

Hi Turtle,

I had the similar case like yours a year ago. Therefore, probably I can share my experience with you. I inherited a lot of antique roses with the purchase of an apartment and in the heavy bush there a lot of rose bushes hidden.

I live in Europe, and usually we are allowed to replant or re-allocate during autmn and early spring, when there is no threat of snow, frozen ground, and strong sun.

If you are able to wait until atumn it will be ideal to do the relocating of your rose bush, when they are half alseep. You can prune back the bush and dig the rose out, with as much root system as possible. Dig a hole at least 4 times larger then the rose and make it is deep enough. Do not provide any fertilzer.

If you cannot wait till autumn to relocate your rose, you can also prune back the bush and dig the rose out. However, there is a certain high risk that you might loose the rose. Make sure you choose a time when there is no threat of hot direct sun when you place your rose bush into the new location. Try to keep and retain as much as possible the root system. Try not to pull , when you dig your rose out. After you have digged out the bush, place it immediately into a container where there is some mixture of loamy soil and water. The mixture should be loamy that sticks onto the roots and help the roots regain their moisture. Let the root stand into this mixture with water for an hour to 3 before planting into the ready digged new location. Do not add any fertilizer before you see new growth after 3 months. Lastly, make sure you water the rose bush regularly.

Hope it helps.

Pixi

[Franco]

By the way when a plant reacts like that to light it's called phototropism.

[garden_mom]

I agree with JPIXI, that's the right way. But I have to tell you, I'm a lazy gardener, and when I move my roses (and I have a few times) I dig them up and move them, and that's that. The last rose I moved actually pulled out of the ground (on accident, because I wasn't careful) and I took it to the new spot, bare root, and put it in the new hole, watered, and it's blooming beautifully. However, don't do any moving except early early spring or mid-autumn, and you definitely should cut it back, making sure to leave some buds.

[Turtle]

I can totally wait until Autumn to move the rose bush. I don't think it's big enough to cut back though...it's only got maybe 2 or 3 main stems, and then some little ones that come off of those. I'm hoping once I move it, it'll throw up more stems on the other side that's been in shade all these years? What do you think? Do roses like full sun?

[garden_mom]

Yes, roses should definitely be in full sun.