House sale, list every plant in garden?

[Shallysally]

Just that really. I’ve been told that I can’t dig a plant up when I move as everything in the garden is included in sale of the house.

It’s a memorial plant and I would replace with same. Just wondered if anyone has experienced this please?

Is this a thing? I dug up six rose bushes, a hebe, 2 peonies and about a gazillion bulbs when I sold my parents' house. I am glad I did as the new owners have made the front garden a drive.

I'm sure one of the forms we completed asked whether plants were included or excluding. We moved in August so it was difficult to take any. If it had been winter I would have dug up two of my roses.

I asked the buyers and they said take anything I wanted....so I did. They had no interest in the garden at all....

But I did that before filling in the form, if I hadn't asked I'd have put all the pots on the form and also a couple of other things I wanted to dig up...

We moved house last year and took our pots with us, including one with a memorial rose.

If I were you, as a courtesy I'd tell your buyers and ask if they want it replaced.

The sellers are taking plants from the garden where I'm buying, we were quite surprised tbh but hardly going to call off the purchase. We had expected them to take all the pits but not start digging things up!

If a plant is special to you then I don't see why you can't take it, replacing it is a kind thing to do. I wish my sellers were that nice, they are even taking the fitted appliances, all the curtains, light fittings, wall shelves, etc.

We told our buyers we were taking most of the roses on the fixtures and fittings form. They have sentimental value.
They never mentioned it.

I did rearrange a few other things so it still looked nice for them.

You can take anything that isn't nailed down or rooted in the soil.

Well garden plants do tend to be rooted in the soil but it wouldn’t occur to most of us to dig up plants when we move

I actually wished I’d taken more from the garden when the buyers started saying the house was damp (it wasn’t) and and the flat roof didn’t meet building regs (no shit, it was built in 1988 when it was fine) and therefore they had to reduce their offer. They then turned the front garden into a driveway and turfed over the entire back garden getting rid of all the flowers and bushes. There were some I’d have loved to have had

Some people have plants that are special to them for some reason, often because they were given by a parent or friend they were close to.

It’s this kind of thread that makes me dread putting my house up for sale.

I remember reading a case a few years ago where someone had bought a house belonging to a vendor who was a garden writer/ blogger. The beautiful mature garden was a big part of their reasons for choosing the house and they were told that it would be left intact . When they moved in much of the garden was a series of holes where plants had been hastily dug up, they made a fuss and got pretty substantial damages. I don’t think anyone would bother about one or two plants though, unless they were huge.

I had a big wisteria I'd been given by a family member that I told the estate agent before viewings wouldn't be included. And on the fixtures and fittings form I specified again that it wasn't included. I did that because it would have been very obvious that it was gone!
I did also dig up a handful of smaller shrubs but I don't think they'd even have noticed those so didn't mention them.
If no contracts have been signed I'd just say to your solicitor what you want to take and ask their advice. Best to just be open with the buyers about it, I'm sure it'll be fine!

Thanks all. To update, I’ve contacted the buyer via solicitor and explained the situation and they have agreed I can just remove the plant. I’ll replace with similar.

It’s a long time since I have bought a house and am sure back then that I didn’t have to list plants in the garden.