Question
Hello.I hope you can help.I live in Mishawaka In.
The house next to mine has been vacant for the last 5 yrs.It was recently remodled for resale.
Next to this house is a beutiful rose bush.With no care at all this bush is awsome.The owner gave me permission to dig it up and transplant in my yard.However I have very little experience with gardening.I would be very diappointed if this bush would die.any suggestions would be very helpful.Is it possible to gain starts from this bush.I have no Idea what kind of bush it is.Thank you.

Answer
The best time to move a rose bush is when it is dormant such as late fall but you can start to take the cuttings from it now. Here is a website that explains how to do it. Make sure you take at least 10 cuttings as some may not strike.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/southerngarden/roseprop.html
Roses dislike being moved so the best time to transplant a rose is when it is dormant or not growing, as I said, 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 inche s 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. 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.
The same routine applies when you move a rose in the fall but you don't have to take leaves off as it will have dropped them already. Hope this helps.