If there’s one thing this move has taught me, it’s to temper my expectations.

Our initial reno plans have already change several times, and we are definitely not going to be able to complete all the things we wanted to before the “big move”. (Truck is booked for July 24th!)

And when it comes to my garden… well you know my initial plan…

The plan was to dig everything up and put it in the ground at the new place as soon as possible.

The first road block to this came not long after we took possession, and I got a good look at the front garden space. There used to be some cedar hedges there that the previous owners cut down. But they left the roots. Those roots have to come out before I can plant anything there.

Time was against us the minute I gave notice at the townhouse – and there’s just not enough time to address that before we move, on top of all the other things we actually NEED to accomplish.

So plans got adapted. After Dad got the greenhouse down, we set aside some of the large framing timbers. My plan was to use them to build a large, temporary box, fill it full of soil, and at least get all the garden plants in there. Then I can move them as I build new gardens. If some of them over winter there, that’s just fine. (Dad has a large garden like this at his place – I call it his “transfer garden”)

Now, as the clock is ticking away, I might not have time to do that before the big move. Though I can probably do it soon after. So the plants will just have to live in pots for a while. This is not the end of the world, they just need more regular watering than the would otherwise. Some plants don’t like being in pots at all (I’m looking at you Lupins), but I’d just have to make do.

So… the other evening after things cooled down, I started digging things up. And plans changed again.

So far, I focused on the plants that had already bloomed. The Columbine came up nice and easy, and I got some seeds from them for extra insurance. Same with the oriental poppies.

But then I got to the Pasque flower. It’s been in the same spot for a few years now and it’s pretty big. And apparently has some pretty deep roots. I had a heck of a time getting under them without destroying the whole plant. I managed to get a chunk off, and I hope it survives. The rest is staying right where it is.

There was a similar issue with Candy Tuft. I couldn’t even get a piece of it! I’m going to try again with my big shovel (I have to bring it back from the new house first), but I have a feeling it’s a permanent resident.

Still – I managed to get seven or eight pots full of plants ready to move. The big winners this round were the strawberries.

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I started with a couple of good plants, and not only have I gotten a good bounty of berries from them (and gotten them before the wild residents!), they’ve also sent off runners in every direction. I pulled up five of them, meaning I’ll be taking at least seven strawberry plants to the new place.

So while I might be leaving more than I planned behind, I’m also taking more than I expected! And there’s still lots of digging in my future!