To ask stranger if I can dig up their tree in the garden?

[WaffleDogg20]

My dad had a stroke that left him wheelchair bound and without a voice. when I was 16 which caused my parents to lose their house as they couldn’t afford their mortgage. They were homes in a bungalow. a few months after moving in my mum was diagnosed with cancer, for her 60th birthday all she wanted was this specific cherry tree.

we managed to find one and bought it her and it was then planted in the middle of their garden. It was extremely special to both my parents. Sadly my mum died a few months later but for the last 12 years my dad tenderly looked after this tree and every year he would make us pick the cherries for him. We would find him many times just looking at it in the garden.

my dad died last year and in the rush of having to be out of the council bungalow the Tree was left.

its my biggest regret in life so far and every time I think about it I cry. It’s still in the garden as if drove past a few times.

would I be unreasonable to offer the new tenants a good sum of money to be able to take it? I would love to replant it in my garden as it holds so many memories with my dc.

I don’t know what to do :(

Edible Cherry trees grow fairly quickly once established which explains why it will look so much bigger on Google maps now. A cherry of that age will not transplant successfully because it will lose too much root from being dug up unless you use a digger to save as much root as possible and nobody is going to want that upheaval. Can't you just buy another one the same variety? Are you even supposed to plant trees in council properties? We were not allowed to have any large shrubs or trees.

I agree with asking for a cutting. The tree is probably happy where it is and may not survive the move, even if the current residents agreed to it

We tried to move some mature trees because of building work and they all died.

Best to take a cutting.

I love trees so it would be a no from me.

Would obviously let you take cuttings/pics.

Or some cherry pips and plant those.

are you sure the tree is still there? I'd have cut it down if it was in the middle of my lawn

If its deciduous winter will be the safest time to move it. Depending how big, but deciduous fruit trees are usually sold this way, bare root in winter. They're not large mature trees though.

ETA: a cuttings probably a much better idea

This happened to us once when we lived in Yorkshire. Some random knocked on the door and said he was brought up in the house and wanted to show his wife a special tree they planted when he was a child. Didn't ask to take it though. Took photos and seemed happy enough. I would have let him have it if he had asked, but some of the ideas about taking cuttings or photos on here seem much better. It would probably die anyway. And that's where it lives and where the memories were made. Not worth the risk of it not surviving. That would be so much worse.

I wouldn't move it because it will probably die and that would just add to the upset. A cutting is a lovely idea as it's a clone of the parent tree, otherwise the easiest option would be to get another tree of the same variety.

You should definitely go around in person and ask them:

• you’ll find out if they will let you take the tree (they will be surprised by the question though and probably can’t give you an answer on the spot)
• or they’ll agree to you taking a cutting.
• they’ll appreciate the history of this special tree and thus care for it and value it even more.

Ps I dug up 100 year old rose bushes from
my grandmothers house when she passed and they now thrive in my garden. Good luck OP! 🌺

This happened to us to! An elderly man who grew up in the house and planted a tree then that’s now a stunning mature tree we adore. He was so pleased to see it and it brought back lots of memories, and we enjoyed learning about the history of our house. So glad he knocked on. 😊

But they are not mature and have all their roots. When you dig up you naturally cut roots unless you can create a significant root ball. The soil will not be exactly the same either, which can seriously impact on their health. I'm looking at a small yew tree we moved this year now. It went into same soil with a full root ball and it's not going to make it.

@WaffleDogg20

You could write a brief letter,requesting you that you grew up there and have fond memories of this house and cherry tree etc
leaving your contact details

I do get how you naturely feel about this,
However this much cherished mature cherry 🍒 tree could well not stand the stress of being uprooted like that,

i think it be better to purchase a cherry tree sapling elsewhere from B&Q garden centre etc..

In all fairness if i owned the property ( or lived in it) and someone asked me if they could take the very well established, beautiful (my) tree - the answer would be no - no matter of the history.

One of the things you could ask for (after research to find the method with highest chance of success), is to have a cutting of the tree - that then you could replant and it be the child of the tree you have so many memories of. They are far more likley to allow you to take a cutting from the tree that you then go on to replant (or several cuttings to improve chance of success).

Honestly? No, I wouldn’t ask to buy it and move it. Trees and shrubs over 5 years old have a significantly higher chance of not surviving, and experts like the RhS say that if you must move something, it’s worth paying for specialists to do so.

you can taking cuttings, but if I were you and really wanted a cherry tree, I d go and buy one from a plant nursery,

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/cherry/grow-cherries-from-cuttings.htm

As others have said, transplanting established trees is not a good idea, and if I were the new owner of the property I would refuse.

Ask to take some cuttings instead.

Yes that's why I said they're not large mature trees though and a cutting was a better idea.

Take cherry 🍒 tree cutting instead it's definitely more likely to thrive flourish
than the alternative you are Consirdering about...
@WaffleDogg20

It may not survive being moved. As others have said, ask for a cutting.

but was it to plant elsewhere? getting even large trees removed is easy if you don't care what will happen to them.

Agreeing with those upthread- if the tree is happy where it is leave it alone. Take a lovely picture, maybe even get someone to do a drawing from the pic (they could draw your mum and dad next to it from a picture), take a cutting and/ or plant a cherry pip and see if you can grow another. Or buy an identical species and you can all enjoy it.

If you imagine how far the roots go down it would be a huge job, it will desecrate the old garden and the tree is likely to die wherever you put it. If they were getting rid of it I’d say maybe risk it but otherwise leave the tree where it is happy.

https://www.checkatrade.com/blog/cost-guides/cost-tree-transplanting/

It looks like it could be very expensive with no guarantee of success.

I agree with the people suggesting taking a cutting.

No harm in asking.

Alternatively could you take some seeds, a cutting??? (I don’t know how trees work!) and plant another tree? So the “child” of the tree.

Moving a tree seems quite a lot.

The tree might not survive that. Could you ask if you could take a cutting to grow on yourself?

After 12 years, the removal will cause alot of damage in their garden, from the roots. Not to mention that it probably will die of the shock of transplantation. I'd ask for a cutting to grow your own. If they're tenants, you'll need to write to the landlord. I can't imagine they'd be happy, about removing a pleasant tree from a rental property. I'd agree to a cutting but not a tree removal.

Even if the owners agree (which I think is unlikely) a 12 year old tree is very unlikely to survive being dug up and replanted, so trying to go through that process is likely to being an upsetting experience. Buy a new tree and plant it in memory of your parents.