Moving

Moving House

Advice on moving your plants

It is very important to show the removal companies, all the plants inside and out. Believe it or not, but plants take up the most room in the back of a removal van*.
*This is because you are unable to stack them on top of each other.
 - Before removing established plants from your garden. Make sure with your buyers that this is okay and if preferably have your solicitor mention this in your contract. There has been many an occasion when a buyer has turned up at their new house expecting to see the beautiful garden in full bloom only to find that its a mud bath and they are not usually very happy. The plants in your garden are classed within the fixtures and fittings list that you provide to your buyers before exchange, so if you do intend digging up your garden or even just one or two plants, do clarify this with your purchasers to avoid undue heartache and stress on moving day for yourself and the other party.
 - Before moving day. Make cuttings ( these could take a couple of months to root ). and restrict the growth of climbing plants by pruning them, but only if it is the correct time of year to do so. Try and cut off any pieces which might break off or cause a problem in the move. Before the day of the removal move all outside plants and furniture into a dry area like the garage so that they can dry out and stay dry for moving day. Don't forget that all your garden furniture and plants are placed onto the van with your house furniture, you don't want them to be wet and dripping all over your other items.

• - On moving day inside. Drain excess water from household plant pots. Line a carton with plastic sheeting, (a bin liner will do) and stand your plants inside. If the pots are breakable separate them with newspaper and clearly label the box "breakable". Don't shut the lid so that the moving team can see that there are plants inside and they won't stack anything on top. Large pots should be placed inside plastic bags to stop soil falling out. All un boxed plants should be in newspaper to protect them.
•  - Outside on moving day. If you have plants to dig up, wrap the root ball in plastic sheeting making sure that the soil is moist. Box up pot less plants with cane supports to stabilise them for the van ride.
•  - Pots & Troughs. Most garden pots and troughs are never moved, and therefore any frost damage is not discovered until the removal men pick it up and it falls to bits. This is quite common so you will find that the removal company will not be liable. If you are worried about this empty the contents out to take some of the strain from the pot. The removal men will take great care, but outside pots tend to be covered in moss. Even worse if wet they can be extremely difficult to lift, and there is often a large thorny branch waving about, usually in your ear.
•  - Storage. For obvious reasons plants cannot be put into storage, although some of the smaller removal firms, will if for a short period of time store some plants. These will be stored loose so they can be watered and outside plants are often left in an outside compound.
•  - At your new house. If you can't plant straight away, dig a hole and cover the roots just so they are protected from the frost. Then at a suitable time replant where you want. Some plants don't like certain types of soil. If you are not sure, you can purchase a pH kit from most garden centres this will tell you if the soil is acidic or alkaline. Water them well and fertiliser, keep this up until full settled. Trees and large shrubs can take up to a year to settle in.
•  - Check through the outside plants to see if any inside ones have been put with them. You can protect your household plants from draughts and bruising by wrapping them in newspaper. Once in the new house don't unwrap them until the madness has calmed down and the doors are shut, just keep them warm until then.
•  - Insurance. The removal companies will always endeavour to handle your plants with great care, but because plants are living creatures they will NOT be covered under any insurance policy. Liability for loss or damage is also probably excluded under the terms and conditions. You can find details usually on the back of the acceptance forms that you will have received.