moving established plants

[Paul-C]

So we're moving at the end of may and there are a few plants that we'd like to take with us, Lavender and some roses.
Is the best plan to put them in pots until we have the time to re home them in the new garden?

[Gillykat]

It shouldn't be too much of a problem. I would water them well the night before. Dig them up carefully, making sure there's LOTS of soil still on the roots and transfer them to a pot and as long as they're not allowed to dry out they should be ok.

I've often moved established plants and I just make sure they have lots of water and are not allowed to dry out completely until I start to see signs of new growth.

[Lumpy]

Ditto what GK said but it might be worth giving your roses a really good prune down before moving them.

I am not a rose expert by any stretch but it is what we did to move ours last year and they bounced back a treat.

[WendyC]

Only thing I would add is to do it now and not wait till the end of May. The plants will be in full leaf by then and conditions (hopefully) warmer and drier, so moving them then would stress them more than if you did it before they really got going. Also as the time to move gets nearer, you'll be busier and busier!

[Gillykat]

...it might be worth giving your roses a really good prune down before moving them.

I actually almost added something about giving them a prune but then cut it out as I wasn't 100% sure whether it was what you were supposed to do. I've always done it but thought that perhaps it was just me and my haphazard method of gardening and that I'd just been 'lucky'