Question
We were moving into a new house and had an rose bush my mother-in-law had bought for us we wanted to take with us.It was health so i dug it up and planted it in your new yard, what can i do to insure it will survive?My mother-in-law has since passed away and it is very important to my wife. PLEASE HELP

Answer
Moving a rose successfully really depends on where you live. It is always easier to move a rose when the weather is cool as warm weather tends to dry the rose out. You can't help but damage the frail feeder roots of a rose the rose will go under stress when dug up. Because it is under stress the roots can't take up water and nutrients. So to help the roots you have to cut back the top of the rose to make it smaller and then when the roots recover they don't have to support a large plant. Cut the rose down to about 18 inches tall, then cut to the base any cane that is thinner than a pencil. This leaves the thicker and sturdier canes which will give you the best flowers. Blooms on the thin canes will be very poor and not last long. Place some sort of mulch all around the base as all roses love cool roots and it will also  encourage new roots. Don't give any fertilize because as I said the roots can't use it. Wait until it has flowers and then give it any type of rose fertilizer. You must water, water, water and never let it dry out just enough to keep the soil damp. It usually takes about 6 weeks to 2 months to make enough new feeder roots to take up the water and nutrients in the soil. If you are in a warm area, your rose may not perk up until the middle of the summer. It could also sulk for the whole season and then start again next spring, so don't give up on it.