The Best Way to Transplant Don Juan Roses

Make plans to transplant the Don Juan rose at the end of winter or the beginning of spring. This allows the plant's roots time to recover before the heat of summer.

Water the roses daily for the week prior to the transplant date. Dig the hole in the new location before digging up the Don Juan roses, so you can plant them right away.

Select a location with full sun and rich, well-drained soil. Enrich the soil by thoroughly working in 2 to 4 inches of organic matter, such as aged manure, leaf compost or peat. Then dig a hole 15 inches deep and 18 inches wide.

Prune the Don Juan back as you normally do each spring or slightly more for longer canes. Measure out 9 inches past the plant's drip line. Dig down 15 inches and sever the roots as you go. Angle the shovel to cut the roots beneath the plant or use hand pruners.

Carefully lift the rose out of the hole. Let the soil fall off of the root ball as you lift the plant.

Create a mound in the center of the new hole with part of the removed soil, and place the plant on it with the roots spread downward. Add or remove soil from the mound until the Don Juan sets in the ground at the same height it previously grew, relative to ground level, or slightly higher to allow for settling.

Backfill the hole halfway and then fill it with water. Finish filling the hole after the water drains and then flood the area again to settle the plant in place.

Cover the area around the plant with a few inches of mulch. Treat the transplanted Don Juan as a newly planted rose for the first season to re-establish the plant's roots. Water the rose weekly with an inch of water anytime rainfall is less than that amount.