find somewhere to heel them in, which just means digging a hole or a trench, shoving the plants in and then backfilling with soil to cover the roots. Its sort of like planting, only not so fussy! Good luck with getting the roots out - if they've been in more than 4 years, that won't be easy...

Thanks for your answer.

Make sure they are excluded from the house sale as they may not be unless specified?

Any and all plants in situ at the time of the sale have to b e left in the ground. So, unless your friend has an agreement to move she/he can't! Usually a chat with the buyer is enough! But it needs to be on paper somewhere with both parties signing!

Hi. Thanks for your answer but it is not a house sale and i did not ask for legal advice. My friend is a pensioner in a council house and she is transfering to a bungalow as she can no longer cope with the size of the house and garden. Whatever is in her garden she can take with her. I just wanted advice on the roses.

We meant well and were polite!

Honeybee as Drc says we meant well and were polite to you. Many people are not aware that if they are selling a property then anything in the garden is included in the sale unless specifically noted as not being.