Question
Hi Lynette, We are moving out of our home in Denver, Co. in two weeks and renting until January when our new home is completed in Oregon. How do I propagate some of my rose bushes and keep them alive over the winter until I can plant them in Oregon in the spring? Many of my bushes are very sentimental to me. Please help.

Thanks, Julianne

Answer
Most of the time, rose propagation from cuttings is easy. However there are some roses that no matter what you do just won't strike. I am telling you this so you won't blame yourself if some don't grow. I am sure you have already thought of this but maybe the new owner might let you take some of your roses with you. Here is an really good website that takes you by the hand through the process of taking cuttings and he is well known in the rose world.
http://www.rkdn.org/roses/propagate.asp
Don't forget to take at least five cuttings from each rose bush as not all will strike. You can always put five around the edge in a small pot. I would also use the liquid hormone starter as the powder one gets knocked off when you push them into the soil mix. You may see no growth at all from some of the roses and just a little from the others. It is nearing winter time and even in Oregon the light will be too low to activate growth. Keeping them damp is most important.
http://www.rkdn.org/roses/propagate.asp
There is another way to start your cuttings when you are in the house. Wrap half of your cuttings in a wet towel and place them in the fridge. They can stay there until upi move in. That will make them dormant. Then rig up a couple of 48" normal tubes(don't spend money on the agra gro ones as all you need now is plain light)put your cuttings into pots and place them under the lights about 4 inches from the tubes. Leave the lights on for 16 hours anytime you want. Spritz the soil mix with water to keep damp and not dry out. If your set up is in the basement and would get cold, simply place 4 mill plastic sheeting over the lights or anything that would keep the moisture in and the little plants warm. At this point in time you don't need any light but the tubes. When you see new growth, raise the tubes or lower the pots but keep the top of the plants 4 to 5 inches under the lights. Because cuttings growth at different times and therefore are not the same height, I use tins (or use anything else) to raise them individually. After the rose cuttings are nearing  5 inches tall, spray them every two weeks with a house plant fertilizer such as Schultz, at half strength. When they are 12 inches tall, that is the time to put them in one gallon pots. Now raise the lights to 7 inches above them. Finally, in the late fall when outside roses are dropping thier leaves, take them out of the lights and slowly let them go dormant but placing them for short periods outside. When the leaves fall off put them in an unheated basement and they don't need a lot of light. Next spring plant them in your garden. Fertilize and water well. As they will be on own roots, don't prune until another or even two more years. They will not be as strong as the budded ones. Hope this helps.