As I was reading through some of the posts, I was reminded of a problem I have with a rose bush. It was here when I bought the house. It is planted near my front "porch" (read: concrete slab entry way). It currently has a "ton" of buds and they are beautiful when they open but they drop soon after. That part of the yard gets no sun (facing north). Should I move the plant to a sunnier area? It is my intention to move it but I thought I would pose the question to those of you who are more knowledgable. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Roses don't do well in shade. Yours must be getting some sunlight later in the season to be doing as well as it is. Leave it where it is this season since it's already set bud, but look closely at how much sun it does get through the summer, and if it gets less than 6 hours, it'll be happier somewhere else. If it's a once bloomer, the best time to move it and still be able to get blooms for next year is immediately after it's bloom. Cut it back, dig a big receiving hole, and get as much rootball as you can. Keep it well watered in it's new spot and provide a bit of temporary shade. If it's a repeat bloomer, then the best time to move it is when it's dormant, like late winter. Cut it back and get as much rootball as you can and because it's dormant, it will barely even notice the move at all.
BTW, if it's a once bloomer with deep red semi-double blooms with prominent golden stamens and no scent and a good propensity towards black spot later in the season, then it has a very good chance of being Dr. Huey, the rootstock that is most commonly used to graft more desirable roses onto. It's very common across the country. In cold areas, usually the gardener didn't provide adequate winter protection to the more tender grafted rose and it died, and in warm humid areas the gardener most likely didn't spray to control the black spot and this kept the rose so defoliated and weakened that even our "winter" killed it. Dr. Huey is not a terribly desirable rose to grow unless you have a back forty to transplant it to for a visual bang from the distance and to be able to ignore it's leafless ugly sticks for the rest of the year.
If I were you, I would do some digging at the side of your rose, they are notoriously hungry plants, and it may be that it is now in need of renewed nourishment.
If the plant blooms and appears healthy, why move it? Most roses prefer full sun, but there are part-shade varieties. Can you identify the rose? Most roses have a deep root system but can be most successfully moved in early spring. Prepare the hole with compost, leaf mold, and a small amount of cow manure. Be careful to keep the crown at the same soil level. Prune it back at least one-half. Water immediately, then water well again the following day.
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