How old is it? My first thought when dealing with moving any largish rose that runs is that you don't really have to move the whole thing. Just find a good, balanced part of it, move that, then kill off the rest.

It's maybe 3 years old...well, since it was put in that place. I used to be able to transplant the smaller ones easier. I know they grow fast...

I'm with MG. I have transplanted Rugosa with extreme rudeness and they don't seem to care much. I have also chopped off suckers and simply stuck them in slits and almost all survived.

I'm with the rest. Cut it back to a manageable size and dig up a good size root ball and move it where you want it. If you can dig now and the rose is dormant I'd do it and the rose will wake up in its new spot and may not even notice it was moved!

Don't worry, its pretty hard to kill a rugosa by digging it up even if you hack it up. Actually you are going to find that you will have numerous baby rugosas trying to grow back from the pieces of roots that you leave behind from the mother plant, I had roots sprout back for 3 years after moving a Hansa once. You're the one that will suffer the most in the move, I highly recommend wearing safety glasses.

I once transplanted a 5 ft tall Wasagaming from partial shade to even more shade. It seemed to experience no great shock. A trooper. Early to mid April should be a good time to move a rugosa in your state, just water well for the first week or two.

rugosas can handle light shade salt air,frigid temperatures, so plan to move them safely by taking the healthy part of the plant

thanks everyone, I'll prepare my "safety gear" soon

Thanks mysteryrose for the time, I never am sure!!!

Amy