Pruning and moving advice please

I need the advice of our @wiseowl and other resident rose experts please. I have two roses that I want to move - both have been in situ for about five years, and both have (unintentionally) ended up behind other larger things, so they are not being seen in all their glory, nor are they being pruned or cared for properly.

So, I want to move them, and believe that now is a good time to do so?

If so, do I prune them and move them at the same time, or do I do those jobs in a particular order? Also, what size rootball should I be expecting to move, and are there any other things I should do to make the moves successful?

 

Yep, now is the time to move established roses and also plant bare root roses. I would prune the roses first mainly because it will make them easier to handle.

That would depend on the Rose variety and the soil it's in but, in reality, it shouldn't be a huge root ball. When planting the roses make sure you take a note of where the stems are above ground and then replant them at the same depth, while adding some compost to give them some help. Firm the soil around the newly planted roses with a gentle foot.

 

Morning @Fat Controller my friend you can move them now as they are in their dormant state just as long as we don't have a very cold and frosty weather after you have moved them,IMHO I would prune them to the size you require and then move them,less hassle and no danger of getting tangled up in the long canes,no need to worry about a root ball to much

 

Thank you all

I won't do it this weekend then, as it is due to be frosty (it is this morning), so I will wait until this cold snap eases a bit.

Finding sandy soil to put cuttings into won't be easy - my soil is quite heavy/clay type, although I could spare a few pots with a compost/sharp sand mix?

Do I need to leave any gap between pruning and moving to let the rose recover, or will I get away with it all in the one job?

 

It's a one job thing, FC.