We've just moved (across town) and I want to take most of my plants with me. We'll put grass sod in the empty spots after I dig out my plants, and apparently you have to plant sod before hot summer weather. This means I have to dig out, carry across town, then re-plant all my plants ASAP - a frightening amount of work. (I'd hoped to do this gradually over the next couple months with the cooperation of whoever buys the old house, but the yard would look terrible with holes left by various plants and spots of sod here and there. So I fear I have to do it all at once so we can make the lawn look decent to help sell the house. BTW, most of the plants are in the backyard, so I'm not removing any 'curb appeal' before we sell.)
Anyhow, here's a list of my plants. None are more than 2 years old because I only started the garden 2 years ago. I've noted plants that are very new (planted last fall) and also what's currently in bloom - I don't want to kill them by digging them up at the wrong time.
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Astilbe
Lupine (just starting to bloom)
salvia (planted last fall)
hydrangeas
Russian sage
veronica
Sea Holly
allium (in full bloom now)
iris (just starting to bloom)
day lilies (planted last fall)
autumn joy sedum
josee lilac (in full bloom)
verbascum (starting to bloom now)
spirea (planted last fall)
butterfly bush (planted 2 years ago, rather large now)
cleome (I know these are annuals... and they self-seed like crazy)
peony (about to bloom)
toad lily
poppy (planted last fall)
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Any advice is greatly appreciated! thanks in advance.
moving garden to new house - need advice
I'd definitely get them out before you put the house on the market...otherwise if you wind up with a buyer who liked the garden and then they find out you pulled everything out after they made their offer they might get (rightfully) upset about it. Right time of year or not I'd go ahead and dig them all up and try to move them...some of them may not end up making it, but you've really got nothing to lose, after all if you leave them behind then you for sure have to buy new ones, but if you dig them up then at least you've got a chance of having them make it at the new house. For the larger things like the butterfly bush and spiraea, the key is going to be getting as much of the roots as possible when you dig them up, if you lose too much of their root ball then they're going to have a much harder time.
Sea Holly has a long tap root, I wouldn't even bother just get some seeds from it and plant in the fall :) Which one is it?
Creating a holding bed at the new place saves some time. Till up a place where you think you'd like a bed someday, dig up all the plants (plenty o' plastic grocery store bags and markers), haul them over, and plant them all at once. A group of us moved a friend that way. She had a TON of established stuff, and five of us did the bulk of it in a morning. I'll see if I can find the thread...
Here it is! http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/668275/
Good luck with your move!
Not to be a stick in the mud, but, was it in your contract with your buyer that you would be removing the "Landscaping"? Only reason I ask is I'm an agent and most contracts would "have" to have that in them.
I could be wrong but I don't think there was a buyer yet
I've moved many times, and always took my plants with me. The last time I moved, my buyer saw the house with plants (perennials) So I collected all of the babies that I could and brought hem to my new house. Although I dug up a a lot of my plants, I made sure the grounds still look pretty for the new owner, If i left a hole in the ground , I covered up with dirt and some mulch..so the buyer never knew what i took with me. .......On another occasion, sold the house in the winter, did not move out of it until Spring and I had moved most of my plants in plastic pots and they survived it all, The buyer never knew I did that! If your buyer saw your plants this time, just take some, they will never know. If they already bought your house, most probably they loved your house beacuse of the way it looked inside, not your plants, I find that most people do not even care what the yard looks like. I'll tell you, my house is always full of some sort of blooms, and people do not even see it even if you have a thousand pansies blooming in front of your house in the middle of winter, which I have done. So I am telling you lift everything you can, leave a little bit and mullch and keep it neat, noone will ever know except us DG people LOL. Good luck with the sale, it is a tough market...Clemen
Geez, it's been 3 weeks and I still haven't resolved this - have been spending all my time painting etc to get the house ready.
Now, finally, I can focus on the garden in the backyard. I'm leaving what's in the front for curb appeal, and the seller's listing will clearly state that plants in the back are coming with me.
My biggest worry is my large round bed smack in the middle of the backyard. After I remove plants from here, it'll look like heck unless I plant sod. I'm told you need to plant sod before the weather gets too hot. Hence my anxiety about getting that done.
I also have 2 long, straight beds (behind the house and by the side fence) - I figure I'll remove those plants over the next few months and then put in some mulch and maybe a few annuals. No one will expect to see sod there.
Also, I want to move my plants at the right time so I don't hurt them. For example, my hydrangeas are now getting tiny buds, so I figure I either move them now, or wait until the end of the summer. (If a hydrangea expert here disagrees, please chime in!). But if I wait, I can't enjoy them this summer at the new house.
Another factor is upkeep time for gardens at 2 houses. I don't want the back gardens to look too unkempt to potential buyers, and besides, if I don't do upkeep, I'll lose some plants. Hydrangeas, for example - I'd have to go back there 2-3 times a week to water them and to monitor the leaf mold situation which I hope is not bad like last summer. I'd rather spend that time gardening at the new house....that's why I originally wanted to move all the plants all at once - until I realized it would probably kill me to even try.
Someone commented here about sea holly having long tap roots - that kind of specific info is very helpful. I already know that peonies and lupines don't take well to being moved. Any other plant-specific info, folks?
THANKS everyone! Your help is appreciated! I've got about 4 days to do 4 weeks of work...
Poppies are tricky too and moving hydrangeas is kind of tricky someone needs to tell you about those I'm new with them.
Funny, I posted same time you did and my problem is compulsive transplanting so I consider myself somewhat of an expert HA! I would plan to do it when it is overcast, cooler temps, rain expected perhaps and do it in the evening. This way it suffers the least amount of stress. Take plenty of soil with it, as much as possible and keep the clod from drying out by potting it or wrapping it in moist paper. Be as careful not to waterbog the root ball as roots needs air too. The key is to maintain the moisture level and soil temperature as if it where never disturbed. I agree the tap root type plants just don't transplant well but if you must be prepared to dig deep...consider getting a new one. Have your new bed ready or you will have to make a holding place or keep them in large pots until it is ready. Give them indirect sun and avoid wind and avoid sitting the pots on pavement or near a hot spot like the side of a house that reflects heat from the sun. If they look wilted during the day, give them some shade until they get back on their feet. They usually bounce back after a night. Get some help...the swifter it goes the better for the plant.
Very helpful advice! Today I'm digging up the dirt at the new house, so when I bring the plants over I can put them in the ground without delay.
I've heard elsewhere that prior to moving plants, I should cut off any blooms or even buds so the plants can devote their energy to establishing a root system in the new location. I'd hate to have to do that, because I wouldn't have any flowers this summer. But if it's best for the plant, I suppose I can wait until next summer for blooms.
I'd direct my efforts toward my most FAVORITE plants & ones that would be costly to replace.
If you have plants that are EASY to replace might be ok to leave behind--likely you will have more to tackle than time allows.
some things to consider:
yes--cutting off any blooms/buds is best for the plant--better use of its energy--and the plants will do better for it.....think ahead to the great blooms of next year w/ a newly planned garden!
don't forget the mulch at the new house--so much easier on the plants when they don't dry out
yes--sea holly has a long tap root, as do poppies. I've moved both--but they pout terribly and then require extra care--often look like heck until the next year
lupine tends to resent being transplanted--but is grown easily from seed--maybe put some in this fall--and poppies too
daylilies & sedum are some of the easiest
astilbe have always done fine for me too--but don't let them (or toad lilies) dry out after you re-plant them
salvia & veronica & verbascum move ok, but for me tend to limp along for the rest of the year when I've moved them mid-season. they seem to be easy to come by and maybe easy to replace if you left them behind
iris--if they are special--cut them back and move them--if they are common ones you may be able to replace by inquiring on the iris forum and offering postage when folks are moving and thinning
peonies are best moved in the fall--if you can wait til then--if not--try to take a large clump of soil w/ it
shrubs.....maybe posting on the shrub forum w/ provide some detailed suggestions
its a big chore, but worth the work--enjoy your new home & garden!
I just dug up 5 oak leaf hydrangeas from the woods yesterday which is really too late for down here in the south. They were already wilting by the time we got them home. I put them in pots with as much of their own soil as I could, set them in the shade and watered well. Then I clipped off all but the top few leaves. By this morning all 5 were perked up and looking great. I plan to keep them right where they are till this fall. If you have to, you could do the same thing with some of the shrubs you would like to move. They won't be too pretty this year but they will look great again next spring. Good luck.