Question
i live in the houston area.  i have a hybrid tea rose bush in the ground and need to move it to another location.  when and how is the best way to transplant my mature hybrid tea rose bush.  thank you.

Answer
Roses dislike being moved so the best time to transplant a rose is when it is dormant or not growing, is usually in the late fall or early spring. If you move a rose when it is in growth there is a good chance it will die as you have destroyed the frail feeder roots that take the nutrients up to the bush. If you must move a rose when it is active, then you have to take off all the leaves to put it into a short period of dormancy. Then cut it back by a half as the damaged roots can't sustain a large plant and will take about 6 weeks to grow back again. Dig as much of the upper roots as you can. The longer deep ones are there to help anchor the bush. Just try to get at least 12 inches down from the soil level. Place a thick 6 inch mulch all around the rose as roses love cool, damp roots and this will encourage the roots to grow quicker. The reason most roses die when they are transplanted is because they are not watered enough to keep the roots damp so make sure you give the rose water daily. Also if you get winds, stake the rose so it won't rock as this too will disturb the roots and kill it. Don't give it any fertilizer as you are trying to get roots to grow not the top part. If the plant droops or looks like it is dying, just ignore it and keep watering. Some roses may not start into growth again until the next spring.
After all that explanation, you can move a rose now if you can get a large roots ball then the rose doesn't know it has been moved. Also prune it back by a half. Then water, water, water. Hope this helps.