compact up to move to a new home is never light . Most people do n’t tattle about the difficulty and emotion of moving a whole garden ! Join me on my own journey displace my garden of more than ten years and all my tips for move plant and pile up the backyard .
After a decade in my menage , it ’s clip to say goodbye to my current garden . While I ’ve proceed house and transplanted a whole garden before , this move is much tougher for me . This is the first garden my kiddo has gotten to enjoy , and I ’ve absolutely fallen in love with having a large garden space .
A post shared by Stephanie Rose ( @garden_therapy )
Repotting some of the trees, This is a maple tree I was loosening up the root ball for.
I did n’t plan on leaving this garden . Sometimes life gets in the way , and we have to make do with our circumstances . So , after ten years , I go under forth on packing up the dwelling and move plants to their new space .
I had to go through a raft of heartbreak in this unconscious process . Many other gardener have apportion similar stories about how tough it was to say arrivederci to their plant and the felicitous blank they ’ve known for old age .
But always , the account terminate withthejoy of a unused startle and a brand new garden .
During my move , I documented everything I did ( and wish well I had done ) when I bulge moving plants to the new household . When it ’s meter to say goodbye to your own garden , hopefully , my experience can help make the process that much smoother for you .
This post will continue …
Do You Really Need That Plant?
Thefirst time I moved my garden , I had a really hard time picturing forget all my plant behind . I did n’t want to lose all the hard work of my first garden ! On my daily visits , my works became friend , and I thought I would leave out each and every one of them .
When it come prison term for transplanting the garden , I spent SO much time fag anddividing all the perennials . I alsotook cuttingsto ensure I had every last flower , tree , bush , and herb that I would desire for my unexampled garden . I pot up everything into 15 and 10 - gallon greenhouse commode .
In my optic , I would move them over like I had just buy them at a garden centre , and then I would start the new garden . But that move take an intact moving hand truck to action . I kid you not . It was very expensive . in all likelihood more expensive than if I just went to the glasshouse and bought the same plants all over again .
Of course , you ca n’t put a Mary Leontyne Price on your bond to sealed plants .
A Garden Therapy lecturer shared her tale with me about moving her own garden . She had anamaryllis plantthat was gifted to her by her brother - in - law more than 50 eld ago . Between choosing between expensive or practical plants , she knew the amaryllis works was the most significant plant to move .
seek to set those boundaries when displace plant to your newfangled home . Here are the plants you should prioritize .
Plan for Moving Plants Ahead of Time
When I began to plan the move from my current garden , I had all of the above in mind . I would move with the intention that the plant were mean to stay at the home . When I would move , I would say goodbye to them . The novel garden would be a fresh starting line .
For my move , I focused on the non - fixed areas of my garden . Rather than work on transplantation plant , I would focus on my garden pots . I prepared hebdomad in advance , suppose through the pots that were go to come with me . I planned to only keep and travel with the plants that I have sex I would have space for in my young garden .
The garden dope I did n’t desire to bring , I gift aside to the Buy Nothing groups on Facebook or to friends and family . Say thank you to all your plant as a nice goodbye for the delight they bring you in your old family .
Consider the Sun at Your New Home
Besides choosing the flora that are important to you , it ’s important to also considerwhich plant life will really survive . I had a few garden pots reserved for plants in my garden I require to dig up , and I had to realistically believe about what I would fill them with .
In my Modern garden , the majority of the space is quiteshady . This intend I left behind all thesun - loving plants . Instead , I focused on how I could divide some of the fern or take some of thehostasthat were extra to me . Then , I ideate how I could make a little garden out of those plants .
When moving plants , alsoconsider if the plant handles transplanting well . For example , peoniesdon’t like to be be active . You could carefully get rid of the plant only to have it die at the next dwelling house when it was previously flourishing .
Even if you ’re only go a myopic distance aside , you may also want to consider yourmicroclimate . For instance , some magniloquent flora may not be capable to handle a windy yard!You may even change zona all , which portray its own unique challenge .
How to Pack Plants for Moving
When transpose a garden , you want to do it well before the actual move engagement . I was so meddlesome the last few days before moving , and I was glad not to think about moving a garden in the midst of it all .
I prepared my pots by performing all division ahead of clock time . For each one of the pots , I added extra soil . I gave the plants a beneficial lachrymation when I did the divisions from the original flora and when I transplanted them .
The workweek before the move , I reduced my lacrimation . Most of my pots were quite large , and I did n’t require to add supererogatory weight with water supply - impregnate grunge .
Over that workweek , my plant set about quite droopy and wilt due to the lack of water . Not unexpected , it ’s also not that bad of a deal . The flora will bounce back when they ’re happily call for care of in their new space .
expect until you ’re at your fresh dwelling house to clean up any of the plantsyou play with you . Once the focus of move and a new base has slip away , you may start to lop and houseclean them up .
Declutter Gardening Tools
Once your plants are quick , there ’s plenty more work to do in the garden before move . Go through yourgardening toolsand choose what you think you ’ll need . arrange aside anything you might use in the first calendar month to be easily approachable .
Otherwise , bundle up andclean any garden toolsso they can be used down the road in your new home . Declutter as you go , removing any tools you do n’t use . A practiced convention of quarter round is thatif you have n’t used it in a year or more , you probably wo n’t use it in the next year .
Consider The Soil
While you ca n’t bulge up the soil within your garden , do n’t draw a blank tocollect all the bags of soil andsoil amendmentsfrom around your garden . I make all my own soil mixes , so I pre - mixed all mysoil recipesto ensure everything was good to go ahead of sentence for the new garden .
Harvest Your Compost Bin
Depending on yourcompost bin , you might take it with you or leave it behind . Either way , you will want togive it a practiced cleanout . Take any ruined compost and mix it with your pot mixes from above . If you have any leftover , top garb the garden bottom of your current hometo give them a cost increase for the new homeowner .
If you have a vermicomposting bin , now is also a good time toharvest the worm castings . I typically do this every 3 - 4 months for my garden . You ’ll need to stop eat the worm for a few workweek until the worms have eaten all the kitchen food waste . you may notice more information on harvest home worm castings in myvermicomposting guide .
Transplanting Rootbound Plants
While you may not take every potted plant with you , you will need to give them a helping hand before affect them . I was sad to depart behind theJapanese maple treeI have have in many photos and videos over the year . But I made certain it was well-chosen in its dope before I leave !
Take any trees and plant that are root bounce and transfer them into with child flock with new potting filth . I use the potting ground recipe from my book , Garden Alchemy , since it ’s light and fluffy . It make the plants well-chosen and also easy to move .
Clean Water Features
Another item I could n’t take with me was my wildlife pond featured inThe Regenerative Garden . Part of the project requires you to build up an entry level next to the structure for the wildlife to reach the pool . Since I did n’t want to completely break up it , I decided to impart it behind .
I got to work make clean it completely for the Modern owner . Any ponds andwater featuresshould be clean out completely . you’re able to do this whether you ’re moving them or impart them behind .
After cleaning , fill them with urine if you ’re forget them behind . Replace any plantsyou may have decided to bring with you so the wildlife can still delight them .
Pack Up Garden Decor
We would never leave a picture hanging on the rampart , but oftentimes the outdoor décor gets forgotten when you move a garden . Take down all the garden décor and wind it up properly to take to the novel household .
I packed all the garden fine art , wreaths , birdhouses , hanging regular , andlightsin my move . As I write this , I have pull in that I left behind my solar chandelier hanging in the garden . Luckily , it was easy to make ( as you’re able to see from this station ) . Perhaps I ’ll make a newfangled one for the newfangled garden ! Either way , I go for the newfangled folks savour it when it lights up at night .
Dig Up Ollas
I apply ola in my garden beds as part of myregenerative garden . I dig them up every fall , so they do n’t check over the winter . Since I was propel my garden in the fall , the timing was thoroughgoing . But if you ’re moving another clock time of the year , you ’ll require todig up your olla , enfold them well , and take them with you .
It ’s also important toconsider all your current watering systemsand whether or not you want to leave them behind . Wrap up your garden hose and maybe even pack up your drip irrigation organisation if you want to bring it with you .
Replace Soil and Water
After digging , dividing , and moving plants around , you want to strip the garden . put back any soil and gob , add mulch back in place , and give the garden a really proficient tearing .
The new homeowner might not have much fourth dimension to run to the garden when they first move in , so it ’s a good estimation to insure the garden has been water before you give . This way , the garden can pull through on its own for a week or two while the fresh owners get settled .
Harvest Your Bounty
While working out in the garden and preparing for your move , do n’t bury topick and wipe out all the yield , vegetables , and herbs you ’ve been planting . Believe me , you ’ll guess about all the affair you left to ripen and which you got a luck to sample after raise them for so many month .
As I ’m writing this , I ’m escape the Candyland red curranttomatoesI nosh on last hebdomad . I also wish I had more time toharvest some of my favourite herbsand flowers and dry them for my food andbeauty formula .
Leave Garden Notes Behind
If you have the time , a endearing opinion to do is toleave behind a manual of sorts or tips for taking care of the garden for the new proprietor . When you ’ve put this much love and work into the garden , you desire to leave them with some sense of the types of plant life and what to gestate in the year .
Of of course , the novel owners will make it their own and will surely have plenty of surprises along the way . Hopefully dependable surprises !
Another Garden Therapy reader told me her story about move into a home that already had a beautiful and well - loved garden create by a gardener know as Beth . Fifteen years later , she still intend of Beth when she walk through the garden . She ’ll revel the shade of a matured tree and give thanks Beth for the consideration of its locating . Your garden can have a long - lasting impact on whoever is lucky enough to call it theirs .
I was lucky enough to have an entire book written ( The Regenerative Garden ) about my last garden , and I could give the new owner a sign copy . My regenerative garden was a working and creative distance for me for over 10 years . In that time , it get into its own self - sustaining ecosystem . I hope the novel owner get as much enjoyment out of it as I do . And I hope they savor their copy ofThe Regenerative Garden !
Grieve Your Garden
enjoin adieu to a garden is no easy effort . When you ’ve spent so many years turning it into what it is and finding delight in the time spent there , there will be many emotions in leaving a garden behind .
In the quieter moments of take out at the new sign , the kiddo and I depend through old photos when we came across one of theespalier trees . It was then that he finally let the snag feed .
While we packed , our espalier was full of good apples ready for pick . I had my oculus on some scrumptious - appear Malus pumila and tell apart myself I would pick a few of them for us to take to the new planetary house . But the hum kept on coming , and the apples went forgotten .
Up until that moment , kiddo did n’t let his heartbreak out . He went through the empty menage and toured the garden with smiling and glad goodbyes . But when he saw the ikon of our beloved tree , the estimate of all those untouched apples touch off his sadness . Together we spring up those apples and enjoy them for most of his life sentence .
While I ’m also distressing to never pick another Malus pumila from that tree , I ca n’t help but suppose about the new homeowners . They will be greeted with a tree full of orchard apple tree to receive them to what ’s now their home . It ’s a reminder that when we take care of the world around us , it takes care of us in getting even . It ’s my hope that they savor and make out the garden even a fraction as much as the kiddo and I did . And that they savor those sweet apple for many old age to come .
Take a Break from Moving Plants and Enjoy the New Garden
When moving , the house will take precedence over what to unpack first . Make certain your new plants are okay for a little while , whether that means storing them somewhere else or giving them a quick watering upon arrival at the fresh place .
For any move , always have a box with the quick essentials . For me , that ’s my morningmatcha . I had the kettle , mug , honey , and matcha ready to go .
This way , I could still sit on my newly moved patio furniture for a few moments to relish my Modern space . Listen to the new sound and take a deep breathe of the olfactory sensation around you . You have a brand Modern garden to call your own !
While there ’s brokenheartedness in the garden , there ’s mickle of excitation of what ’s to come . For year I ’ve had a columnarherbal hibiscus . In my garden , I never had the space for it . I pull up stakes it behind other plants for a farsighted metre , but it never did well . Eventually , I dug it up and put it in a pot . Still , the plant remained accent out .
When moving the garden , I adjudicate to get it to the new place . I put the can beside the ledger entry step at the new home . On the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. the movers come , it bloomed for the very first time , welcoming everyone to its new , glad home . It reminded me that plenty of awe-inspiring thing would come , one bloom at a time .
Frequently Asked Questions About Moving Plants
In my experience , it ’s best to will the garden behind and bet ahead to your newfangled dwelling house and space with overbold center . Moving plants pose quite expensive , so you desire to be very selective with what you decide to bring . Only bring plants that are rare , expensive to buy , and have dandy sentimental economic value to you . Take cuttings and make division before transplanting plants into smaller , easy - to - move skunk for the novel home . The rest is to be leave behind behind for the new homeowner . The garden is part of the dwelling house sales event , and it ’s their turn to make it their own !
The simple answer … you do n’t move the soil . Anything heavy will be expensive to move , and you ’ll desire to leave it behind . I understand that it can be expensive to amend and retread bad soil , and you ’ll need to take that investment with you to the new mansion . The price full stop to move it will be the same as just getting newfangled soil for the Modern home . By leave it , your quondam garden and works and the new owner can keep to love it . You also require to avoid moving all the soil wildlife and letting them go on to do their own thing . Instead , focalise on bring any of your already bag soil , unused soil mixes , quick - to - go compost , and wriggle castings to kick off the young garden .
Avegetable gardenusually needs to be imbed every twelvemonth . If you know you ’re moving ahead of time , forfend found any vegetable that wo n’t be ready to reap until after you move . Instead , concentre onspeedy farm vegetablesthat you could harvest before the move chance . Otherwise , you’re able to appear at what you cangrow in garden pots . plant life in small , easy - to - move garden pot you may bring to the young house . Remember , motivate fortune of passel is expensive , so only grow what you ask for the season . For recurrent vegetables or fruit Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , you’re able to take cuttings and division that you’re able to convey to the new dwelling house . Once again , begin fresh is unremarkably dependable and sleazy than expend lots of time and money on moving plants .
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