Question
I live in the Western Mountains of Maine, elevation around 1700 feet. We currently live on a property on a large lake, where we have some rugosa roses. These rosebushes have been growing wild here for decades. We really enjoy them, but we're in the process of trying to sell our property and moving to a smaller place in the same town, only off the lake (it's not picked out yet). We will probably have the same amount of area for a garden. It may happen that we end up moving in the winter, but we would like to take a reminder of the beautiful rugosa roses we've enjoyed for so long. It's rapidly getting colder now, and I'd hate to injure the bushes by digging them up then not moving until sometime next summer. The bushes are covered with red rose hips now; is there some way I can grow new bushes from the seeds in the hips? If so, how? Thanks!

Answer
The best time to move a rose is when it is dormant, that is when all the leaves have fallen off. The rose bush is then unaware that it is being moved. If you can't plant it in your new place, simply cut the bush back by a half, place the roots in some soil in a plastic bag and put it where it is below freezing and won't start to grow.
You can also take the seeds and see if you can start another plant but roses are like humans and have bloodlines which means they have other roses in their back ground so you may get a different rose such as a single pink species type.  Here is an excellent web site that will tell you how to grow a ose from seeds. Hope this helps. Lynnette
http://www.ars.org/d5web/1001124/explore.cfm?M=189&SM=&SC=100014&W=M&P=N&S=10011...