To take my garden plants with me when I move house?

[Ragnar]

I have loved having a garden to cultivate and build in our garden for the last 3 years but I'm looking at moving soon and wondering; am I being unreasonable to take my plants with me? I've spent a fair amount of money getting flowers and some small trees that I love and would like to take them with me but will the next owners expect them to be there? Can I even move plants without doing them damage?

Id be by put off a house where the owner wants to strip the garden tbh. Factor the costs of plants into your sale price and buy new.

You would need to be upfront about this. I think you aren't supposed to though.

It depends really on the root balls, if they have been in more than a couple of years, then the roots will have grown too far to really be able to make it alive, unless you dig out a huge root ball and transport it intact and plant it almost immediately. It's the small roots dying that kill a tree...not the big ones. Small trees, dig them up asap and put them in pots and keep them well watered in preparation for the move.

I'd be loathe to move without my wonderful trees, but if I had to I know that I at least gave them a good life whilst they were with me. I have made our canalside garden into a forest garden with huge numbers of edibles and useful trees so I feel for you.

Fine to take them, or some of them, but you need to tell prospective buyers that, and accept that it may put some off.

I think you could get away with taking a few but not all. If they are really established you might well end up killing them.
I wish I'd taken mine when I moved though. I went passed a week later and the new residents and pulled them almost out and were paving it over

Had pulled them all out

I think you aren't supposed to though Who says ?

You can do what you like, just make it clear what you are taking

My dad has a lot of rare plants many with sentimental value. Some his father had invented.He inherited several from my grandfather who was a professional gardener. Some have moved several times. When he downsized my dad took masses from the garden. Everything was itemised and the new owners were fully aware. Didn't stop them buying the house. It was lovely and you are buying a garden not a house.

My mum did when she moved. She told the buyers upfront. No problem.

My mum did. To be honest none of the plants she took were particularly huge. She didn't say anything about it and no one questioned it.

Same here, made it very clear what i am taking with me when i move. Pointed out favourite plants to the estate agent so they could teller prospective buyers.

"I think you aren't supposed to though Who says ?"

We last moved house nearly 14 years ago, and I think we were told that we weren't allowed to.

My parents did but the few they took the buyers knew about. You can but let buyer know.

As long as you're upfront with buyers it shouldn't be a problem from that side of things. It might put some people off but plenty of others won't care

You need to itemize which plants you are taking and let the buyers know up front.

The buyers of our last house pulled up and killed many of the plants I had put in. If your buyers are inveterate gardeners who will care for your plants and really want them, they will let you know. That will give you time to take cuttings or divide clumps and pot them up. Many people just want to put concrete parking on front gardens and decking over back, so you could be doing your new buyers a favor by clearing the garden.

Some work colleagues moved into a house to find the previous owner had taken everything including light bulbs, towel rails, and all the plants from the garden. They were angry because that had not been agreed in the sales contract.

My mum did this twice successfully. She transferred everything into pots before viewings the second time. The first time everything she was taking was listed and given to the solicitor.

Absolutely fine to do so so long as you are upfront about what you're taking with prospective buyers. Just be prepared some may not survive the moving! If there was something I was particularly attached to I would take a load of slips or cuttings as well as moving the plant, just in case the established plant didn't do so well afterwards

Yes I would take them, I wouldn't think twice about doing so. A lot of people seem to be paving over any green spaces to make hideous barbecue areas

Thanks everyone for your comments, its good to know that it is something that people have done before :)

I think it would be fine as long as you tell them about it. I don´t know if you have to or not, but common decency I think would meaning telling them what you are taking (unless it is two small plants that they´d never notice). The bigger problem will be doing it without damaging the plants. Also, are they going to be suitable for your new garden? You might want to plant differently in a new space...

We did but we took the plants round to a relatives house before the photos were taken so there was no doubt that we could take them.

There's a section on the vendor contract where you tick what you're leaving. If plants aren't on there, add them, be specific. I took a lot from one house, they're possessions, same as any ornaments in the garden. If I move, I'd take my narcissus bulbs and various plants.

Could you pot them now? Much more usual to take potted plants than ones in the ground.

We last moved house nearly 14 years ago, and I think we were told that we weren't allowed to.

Were you renting or selling - no one can tell you what you can and can't take from a house you're selling!!

I took a lot of mine. Took us two journeys in a van.