I am planning to take a precious rose bush with me when I move house next month. It has beautiful pale pink mini roses on a plant which is about 5' tall with quite a narrow spread. I believe it's Cecile Brunner and it looks a bit like this:

The little buds on mine are exquisite. It's flowering at the moment so I'm wondering how best to dig it up and pot it. I'll get as large a root ball as possible and give it a good soak before and after digging it up. Should I prune it back first? Feed it? I'm worried the shock might kill it but I'm not leaving it behind - it's a cutting from one that grew in our garden when I was a child. It's too late to try to take cuttings now as I won't know whether or not they've been successful in time.

Thank you very much Tommo. I had suspected it might be the wrong time of year. I might not risk it. But the new owners might get rid of it anyway. I recall Pippa Greenwood saying it's usually worth trying to take a plant with you when you move and that she's managed, despite breaking the rules such as time of year, size of the plant etc. Mind you, her fingers are a lot greener than mine!

My dad's just advised me to try cuttings too. (It's one of his from years ago.)  I failed to get any to root from a lovely yellow rose also growing in the front garden so I thought I was no good with roses but he says that it's far harder to succeed with cuttings from yellow roses than it is with those from pink ones. Wonder why that is. I'll have a go anyway. He says you can use the flowering shoots once you've dead-headed, which is good as there are plenty.

I'll report on the outcome!

Thanks again,

MJ 

I didn't know that. Is that why roses are usually sold as bare roots then?

Way back in August '07 I asked advice about digging up my pink rose and was strongly advised to take cuttings. This I did and I now  have about 10 healthy baby rose plants as a result.   (Success rate: 10/15 rooted!) As it happened I didn't move last September but will do sometime this year.

And on the subject of cuttings, I've just taken 11 rosemary cuttings from my brother's magnificent rosemary bush which is in full flower - but he says he's going to dig it out as he's extending the paving in his front garden. I told him to take cuttings as I doubt it would be happy transplanted (and anyway they're not very long-lived) but he's not a gardener so he can have one of mine if any take. I don't know the best time of year to take rosemary cuttings but I thought it was worth having a go before he attacks it.

I pruned the buddleia a couple of weeks ago and couldn't resist potting a few pieces as cuttings. Buddleia davidii Lochinch, a lovely mauve, if anyone's interested. PM me if you want a rooted cutting - they always take, I've still got some in pots from last year!
It looks a bit like this one - but the leaves are quite grey:

I'd like to send you a baby rose if you want one Tommo. I expect it would survive a day or two in the post if well wrapped up. I've just got to keep them all alive now and I'm neglecting the garden terribly these days. However, so far they're thriving on the neglect!

I've planted and moved many old roses over the years having formed a bit of an obsession with them some time ago.  If the rose is well established I would be inclined to cut it back at this time of year to avoid die-back on transplanting, dig it up with as much root in place as possible and give it generous treatment in its new location ie a decent sized hole, break up but don't dig out the subsoil add compost, home-made if you have it, or well rotted farm yard/stable manure if you can find some, an ounce or two of bonemeal and backfill.  Don't let the roots dry out and remember to plant at the same depth as it was originally planted.  I usually find transplanted roses take a little time to get away again so be patient.  Also avoid planting where a rose has been planted before as they often sulk and won't grow well in the same soil.
Cecile Brunner is a lovely flower, might you be tempted by others?  If you are do take a look at Peter Beales website -temptation almost beyond imagining.

Nonsense, gradus! Tommo and MabelJane have been rosying it up nicely over just the last couple of days if you look the dates. 

Hello Gradus,

Nice to have another set of green fingers here.  Have a look at the thread called "The Garden Shed" and I'm sure in the coming months we'll share some tips.

By the way, onions in rose beds help keep off the blackfly.....

Tommo