How to move plants in your garden from one house to another

For many gardeners, the idea of leaving their favorite plants behind when they move into a new home is upset. If you want to move plants, you should ensure they thrive in the new environment, while also complying with legal and environmental regulations.

If you’re starting over from scratch, you can see how I started my current garden here from scratch.

Stained Empress in Flower Garden with Moving Van

Plant Movement Checklist

Moving homes are stressful and emotional, but there are totally other layers of your beloved garden. The gardener knows what I mean.

We grew those plants, created shelters, and now we have to leave everything behind.

Or will we do?

Why not bring your favorite plants to your new garden to make the transition easier?

Or maybe there are plants that have sentimental connections with loved ones. They have to come together!

The checklist (below) covers what you should consider before moving your garden.

Please review legal and contractual details

If you are selling your home, make sure that the removal of the plant is specified in a written legal agreement and will not cause any sales issues. If you are renting, please check with your landlord that you are permitted to take the plants.

Consider environmental concerns

Moving from one area to another may be unethical, harmful, and/or illegal.

Some states and regions have restrictions on moving plants between counties or across borders. These rules are in place to avoid the transport of invasive species, plants, or soil diseases, and pests such as jump worms. Another check is to make sure that the plants you move are beneficial to the ecosystem.

A neatly organized tool along the inside of the shed door.

Does the timing work?

In our four seasons of cold weather, transplanted plants are available from spring to autumn, and you can get a shovel on the ground. Depending on the timing of the movement, does it take time to dig up plants, water them, move them, and repot them before winter?

Are new growth conditions suitable for your plant?

There’s one thing we want our plants to come with us, but would they like it?

Will they thrive in new soil, light and climate? Are there suitable rooms available? Will the plant appeal to its surroundings?

Can plants handle the migration process?

Importance of sensitivity: Some plants do not like their roots being destroyed and do not recover completely. Do your research first. Size Issues: A good guideline is to move only the plants in a root bowl that fits in a container.

Are there better options when taking cuttings and saving seeds?

Does it make more sense to put the plant in place and propagate instead?

Or, recording garden photos and videos is all you really need to move forward.

Check shipping options

Many moving companies do not allow plants as freight, so be prepared to transport yourself.

While traveling, make sure the plants are very watery, safe during transportation, and if possible, the air conditioning in the vehicle is well-suited. Long distance movements may require pit stops for watering or for wellness checks.

The sadness of the garden

It is impossible to write about laying a garden without mentioning sadness. It may sound strange to non-gardeners, but letting go of your garden is a real loss that brings true sadness, even if something new comes.

It’s been a long time since we last moved in, and every spring I feel the waves of sadness in my garden as I remember my quirky old garden and how spectacular it was during that time of year. The new garden is “better” in many ways, but that old garden and I had a lot of fun together, but I still missed it!

If this is your first move, you know that you are not alone and time will bring some healing.

Plant Packing Tips

In my experience, many people start to think that they will bring more plants into their new gardens, but in the end it’s a lot of extra work during already stressful hours, and perhaps not a realistic option I’ll notice that.

If it’s safe and legal to move plants in your garden and you’re on the challenge of your job, cheer for it!

How one gardener moved 500 plants

One of my friends chose to bring 500 plants to her new home hundreds of kilometres away. The removal of these plants was written in a home sales agreement.

To reduce stress, she worked about six weeks in advance before moving in a day and digged plants whenever she had time. The plants were placed in labeled plastic pots or plastic grocery bags with original soil. Everything was kept in deep shade and watered as needed. This timeline was given enough time to repair the old garden before moving on.

For actual movement, she used a rental van (with air conditioning) and placed a makeshift plywood table inside it. This allows for double layering of plants with each trip to a new home, reducing the number of trips needed. The plants were secured in cardboard boxes filled with newspapers and rags, preventing them from shaking while driving.

In the new home, the plants were stored in shaded areas next to the new home and gradually planted in new gardens over the coming weeks.

Tips for moving more plants

Plant Health: Do not move plants that show signs of stress, disease, or pests. Containers: Use unbreakable containers such as plastic pots, cultivation bags, shopping bags, etc. Ideally, the container may have drain holes or add some. Bare root transport is a savings option for plants that allow it. Clean the cleaned roots in a damp newspaper and secure them with a plastic bag. It’s the same way plant sellers prepare for transportation. Labels: Create all the plant tags you are transplanting and don’t forget what they are.

If the plant is moving closer, we’ll take you a happy path!