Not too long ago, I took my "Roses on the Road"... meaning, I moved and took them with me.

I moved my whole garden -which means all my roses, shrubs, perennials and vines - again. And yes, I too, moved once more - but for the very last time.  When we first saw our “new” house, in January, it was buried under many feet of snow and the garden was a mystery.  There is a Spirea hedge, some evergreen shrubs but heaven knew what else.

The negotiations finished late in the Spring and the renovations got under way in earnest soon after…. but that is another story. My house was  torn apart, and wouldn’t be ready until the depths of the following Winter and perhaps, even early Spring.  And, in this northern clime (Zone 5a), it would be nigh unto impossible to move my beloved garden from the frozen earth and snow that it will most likely be buried under.

But the following October, with the renos in full swing and I needed to move all of my garden before winter set in.

 It’s not as though I could call the movers and have them come, dig up  my roses, hydrangeas, astilbe and such and have them tucked safely in a moving van, all wrapped and cozy for their trip to their new place…. Alas, moving my garden meant I had to dig them up myself, put them in the back seat of my car (because the trunk is full of garden tools) - and schlepp them to their new beds.

But I am getting ahead of myself.

Let’s take a step or two back- because the new beds needed to be prepared first.