Starting Over After Losing Everything in a Fire: Finding Hope in New Roses

With April nearly here, I’d usually be caught up in thoughts of spring—the garden stirring from its long winter rest, placing final seed orders, imagining what new life I’d welcome into the soil. But now, these familiar thoughts come with a quiet ache, because this year, there’s no house, no garden to tend. It is the same feeling I had the moment our house, and part of the garden, was torn down after the fire, to make space for the new construction once the ground thaws out.

I have not written a post about the fire because, honestly, my heart cannot take, and I start crying. But I will tell you that God has been so good to us throughout this experience, as well as our community, and He has given me a peace that its unbelievable. The rebuilding of our home, after the fire that took everything, won’t begin until late April or early May, but thankfully we have a place to stay and all the material things that we need.

I know it might sound overblown, or maybe even crazy, but one of the most vivid memories I have from later that day, when we finally saw the damage in the daylight, was the realization that all my roses were gone. Every single one. What you have to understand is that gardening is where I find my peace, my quiet joy. It’s my happy place. So, when I stood there looking at the garage—where the fire started, where it raged the hottest—and saw nothing but a pile of ash, it broke my heart in a way I can’t quite explain. All of my gardening tools and all the things that I use to volunteer in my community as a Master Gardener and at the Landscape Arboretum were gone. That also included my potted roses which were in the garage. Why were they there?

The fire happened so quickly (house was engulfed in about 4 minutes) that we did not have a chance to move our vehicles that were in the driveway.

The heartbreaking part— they were only in there because I had moved them in the night before due to a frost warning. The next day, I planned to move them back out but thought, I’ll do it tomorrow. That night, the fire happened. Those roses were thriving, which makes it even tougher. When you’ve nurtured something for years, seeing it lost so suddenly is a unique kind of grief. It wasn’t just about the plants—it was about the care, the time, and the anticipation of their blooms each season.

This year, gardening isn’t possible with construction starting in April or May, but I am starting over with my roses. I ordered some of my favorites that were still available—plus a few new ones. They’ll be potted so I can take them with me wherever I go.

My 2025 Rose List

♥ Scepter’d Isle – A longtime favorite, lost in the fire. This rose had been with me for seven years—I couldn’t imagine rebuilding without it.

♥ Roald Dahl – A warm, apricot beauty that I had for five years before the fire. A true workhorse in my rose garden, and the one rose that made me love roses (I never did before her).

♥ Harlow Carr – A new start with this classic pink David Austin rose.

♥ The Poet’s Wife – I got this in 2024, and it was just settling in. With its lemony scent, this yellow beauty won me over. Now, I’ll begin again.

♥ Silas Marner – Another new-to-me variety I’m excited to grow.

♥ New Zealand – Not a David Austin, but I adore this rose. This is the most fabulously scented rose I have ever experienced, and with its big blooms, she’s making a comeback in my garden.

‘Scepter’d Isle’ rose. Photo: David Austin website

‘Roald Dahl’ rose. Photo: David Austin website

‘Harlow Carr’ rose. Photo: David Austin website

‘The Poet’s Wife’ rose. Photo: David Austin website

‘Silas Marner’ rose. Photo: David Austin website

‘New Zealand’ hybrid rose

It’s a small joy, but I need it. Spring is arriving, and not being in my home or garden is hitting hard. So instead, I’ll pour my energy into these roses—the first step toward what will be my garden next year. Because that’s what gardening teaches us: how to start over, how to hope, and how to believe that beauty will bloom again.

Are there any new plants you are looking forward to growing this season?