This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Moving house
We're moving from the South West to North East England this summer, and I'll be sad to leave my lovely garden behind. Some of the shrubs (mainly Camelias, Magnolias) were gifts and as such have sentimental value. Is it possible to dig these out and take them with me?! We'll be renting initially so wouldn't be able to replant straight away; anything I take would need to live in pots for a few months. I have no idea what soil type/pH we'll end up moving to either. Is it safe to dig up hyacinths, alium, gladioli etc from the ground early summer then store to replant this winter? I'm hoping all my bulbs that are already in pots will survive the climate change! Thanks.
0
Posts
Legally, you have to state you're taking them in the conditions of sale, otherwise, they're counted as a permanent feature of the property. Anything in a pot is mobile.
Big shrubs will struggle a bit, but if you cut them back, and keep them well watered, they might be ok.
Best to make it clear what you're taking with the selling agent before you put the house on the market
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I'd check the weather in the NE is suitable for your magnolias and camelias.
I know they're of sentimental value, but , if the conditions are wrong ( I'm not saying they are ) how sad to have to watch them die. Might it be better for you to know they're happy in SW?
As Fairy says, if it's in a pot,or in the ground and you tell the buyers you're taking it, you can take it. Best to mark things you're talking if they're in the ground and make sure you show prospective buyers.
I brought 150 pots with me here.
I've seen Camelias and Magnolias growing perfectly well in Scotland and they are common enough in North Yorkshire.
Can you uproot them and pot them up now before you put the house on the market.
Might save a lot of agro and misunderstandings later and you can look after them in there pots for an amount of time before you move and then move knowing that they have settled into the pots therefore reducing stress.
Stress on the plants and yourself too, moving house is stressful enough but to have to uplift and pot on trees too to move can't be a good idea.
Take some cuttings of the camellia, I have one from my dad's plant that's growing well and I've taken some more from it to make sure I have a back up in case it fails one day, as dad's no longer with us.
We've done the same with hydrangeas, I have one in my garden that's been passed on through the family via cuttings from my nan's garden in the 1950s. It's a great way to keep a trail of sentimental plants alive through the family.
Not an answer for you but I no someone who moved house and the back lawn had been taken away with last owners
Now that is mean.
If you can take cuttings of your shrubs it will be easier to transport them whilst still leaving the parent plants for your buyers to enjoy. They won't take up as much room during the move and will be easier to establish once they are of a size to plant out. We moved into a house with a garden that had been stripped of many of its plants but that was fine by me because we had a ton of cuttings to replace them, including a lot of the hedge plants.
Both camellias and magnolias grow in the north east I live there and the camellia in my garden thrives I have moved it once without problems , don't worry its not the Antarctic as some people think
They're tough as all hell up here too - but the biggest issue might be north easterly winds, so just make sure the camellia(s) have a bit of protection if the new garden's exposed. Pick the right spot
Don't know how Magnolias cope with it though - have never grown them.
I'd agree with Ceres and 8000wf about taking cuttings rather than the main plants/shrubs though.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...