Question
I move from an area in the low 20's, during my move the moving truck got so cold it froze.  We moved to South Carolina, transplanted the rose bush, the rose now has many new leaves and is starting to grow.  My question is when are you sapose to cut it back?  What is the best way to take care of it in sandy soil?The rose in question is a climbing rose.

Answer
The general rule for pruning is to do it just as the roses are starting to grow again in the spring so now is a good time to prune it. Because you have moved the rose, it will not have feeder roots yet. These are the roots that take the nutrients to all the different parts of the rose. It is a good idea to cut the rose right back to about 12 inches because the new, small feeder roots won't be able to sustain a big bush until they grow back.
Sandy soil needs something in it to stop water and fertilizers from draining through before the rose has a chance to use them. Put into the hole lots of compost, or a bag of steer manure, just anything that will soak up moisture, and then put a thick 6 inch mulch all around the base. Sandy soil tends to make the roots hot and roses do much better if their roots are cool. The mulch also will hold onto moisture so you won't have to water so often. Then just continue looking after the rose the way you did before. Hope this helps. Lynnette