moving rose bushes

[Miamla]

Dear O' Knowledgeable Green Fingered Ones!
We have some (very old) rose bushes growing in flower bed very close to the back door. I want to move them because i'm worried someone is going to fall into them. They had such beautiful flowers last year so I really don't want to harm them in the move.
So, can I just dig them out? Is now the right time of year to do it? Can I put them into big pots or do they have to go back in the ground?
Thanks in advance for any help
from a
Not Even Pale Greened Fingered One!

anybody?

I did hear something along the lines of not replanting them where other bushes had been... as they'll die.

Personally I'd leave it for a few weeks before you start uprooting them - wait until the frosts are over - its not unheard of to have snow in Feb either...

thanks for your reply Helium
we're planning on putting them in pots but its good to know

so early March? we're not in any great hurry, health of the roses is most important!

You can dig roses up now, if the ground isn't frozen. Generally though, they're left until Feb - just do it before they start to put on any active growth. Dig up as much root and soil as possible to minimise the disturbance, and then prune the quite hard so that it has time to get roots established before lots of top growth happens in spring. You probably won't get so many flowers this summer.

Make sure your pots are big enough! And yes, you shouldn't replant roses where other roses have been grown before because there could be diseases left in the soil.

Ok, my advice is this , plan where you want them to go. Pots are not a great idea for roses that have been used to borders as their root systems have developed more openly. If you have a new border/space planned, dig it over, dig large planting holes and put a small amount of well rotted compost in the bottom. Dig up your roses, replant, making sure that the new soil level is at least equivalent to the old. Then prune 1/3rd off main stems and take out any spindly or dead growth completely. Cut back each time to a bud. Flowering will not be affected by moving now as they are dormant. Move them on a still day and preferably when showers are forecast, not heavy rain. DO NOT move them when the ground is frozen or just before a frost is forecast. Once you have replanted them a frost won't damage them at all. The best time to move roses is the dormant season, which means between now and the end of Feb depending on where you are in the country.

If space is a problem for you, consider removing one or two bushes and pruning the rest. You have not said whether or not they are shrub roses. If they are very old (i.e over 10 years old) moving them will be risky and pruning them where they are may be more successful.