Rose Help

[greenjelly]

Hi,

We currently have a climbing version of Queen Margrethe growing up a trellis - it's been there for 2 years now and because of a large tree the position has become quite shady. As a result the rose is doing very poorly - we want to keep the tree as it's a large Honey Locust and rather lovely so we've decided to move the rose to a better position.

Could anyone advise on the best time of year to do this and also the best way to do it.

The rose is quite large but mainly the growth looks quite unhealthy - are we best to prune this all off before we move it?

We would be grateful for any help.

Greenjelly: confused:

[Glutton4...]

If it has only been in place for a couple of years, it may not have grown too big a root just yet. I would leave it until the winter when it is dormant, and prune it back first. Try to dig out as much of the root-ball as possible, and try to leave it as undisturbed as possible, too.

Good luck!

[dim]

when you transplant, use a good peat based compost such as Jacks magic, add leaf mould (if you have any) ... add a bit of good topsoil and add loads of rootgrow (mycorrhizal fungi)

[WPG]

Agree with Glutton4 and Dim, though you could also wait till early spring, just before it comes out of dormancy. Before digging it up you can prune it well down in height, and definitely add some rootgrow to help it along. It might not flower too well in the first year, but it'll be spreading its roots out and should perk up with more light and water (its probably been competing with your tree for water as well as being shaded out).