dear our house....
yippities!!!!! if the deal isn't done, what is he doing there????? I would advise him that technically the property is still yours. what exactly did he do to your (sounds like a polyantha) rose bush
, and just as importantly when did he do it
have you made arrangements to take your plants with you
as long as he hasn't ripped it from the ground, there is a better than average chance that you san save it. hopefully you have had a good freeze or two, and the plant is dormant. on your next visit, take a good shovel and, after resisting the urge to crack said villian in the back of the noggin with it, cut about a 2 foot diameter circle around the bush. as gently as you can, pry it from the ground. take the bush immediately to its new home, which should be a sufficiently large hole which has been ammended with some composted manure and a handful of bonemeal... this will help the roots re-establish themselves. do not use any fertiizers at this point, we just want good ammended soil, we are not trying to make the plant grow and put it under more stress. water it in real well, then pile some more compost, leaf mulch etc around the base of the plant.
gradually remove the pile in the spring, we want this baby to break dormancy gradually and keep it somewhat protected from an unexpected freeze in the spring. once it starts to leaf out then treat it with a mild (maybe half strength) water soluable fertilizer, but don't go to heavy on the nitrogen, we want those roots to get going well first.... I would look to a 1:2:1 ratio, like miracle-gro bloom booster.
with regard to you other roses, the more information concerning their age, type, did you winter prune, etc. you can provide as well as that about your climate, the better the people here can help you.
best of luck to you,
chris
It was about 30 years old, one of those with the bunches of little blooms in clusters..
.I have been trying for 16 years!
