Susan, there is lots and lots of advice for you in previous threads. Do a search, with the key words "moving" and "selling" and see what you come up with. Don't miss the really huge thread that was begun by David. It will surely give you food for thought.

Donna, thanks for the info. unfortunately I can't access it? Any suggestions??

If you are going to a community that "does all the work," you'd be wise to find out what they allow.

Often such communities have *very* strict guidelines. The rude fact may be that few to none of your plants may fit *their* plan. And even if they do, may be the *wrong* size.

To avoid disappointment, read their guidelines before you dig.

Been there done that. Won't do it again on the same scale. Just not worth it. It takes living in a new place at least one full season, if not longer, to get a feel for what's actually going on re: sun exposures/casting of shade, soil conditions as well as what is going to be aestheticlally pleasing at the new locale. Plant's have a visual "feel", and what looked great at your old place just may not work well at the new place in this regard.

Almost every plant I took from my old place no longer exists at this house. Either I couldn't find a suitable location (either wrong exposure or wrong soil conditions), it didn't fit into the design plan I devloped, or I planted it and it just didn't thrive - who knows why not? I do have a couple Japanes maples I took with me that are doing beautifully, but those are the only things still remaining from the old place in addition to one Festiva Maxima peoony.

If I move again (hoping to get that 5 acres someday....)I would only take the plants that would be very expensive to replace (the Japanese maples, a mature tree peony), very hard to find, or has a great deal of sentimental value attached. Other than that (which isn't very much) - it's all staying behind, just wasn't worth the headache and expense the last time around.

Don't forget, potting soil and pots to hold everything in cost money, plus you have to baby those plants until you find them a spot at the new place - not only will you have an ugly (IMO) pot ghetto cluttering up space, you have to keep an eye on watering and baby those plants for quite some time. And don't forget to factor in the guilt you'll probably feel when you just cannot find suitable places to plant things and end up having to ditch them anyway.

No, thanks....

Oh, plus, I feel that a new place opens up great new possibilities. If I'm able to start with a fresh slate, there is a whole gardening world of possibilities available able to me in terms of design, I'm not limited by the constraints of what I took with me (i.e. "I brought it with me, now I *have* to use it, even if it doesn't really look all that great").

Let go of the old, and embrace the new!

Look on page 3 of this forum. It's called "So you need to sell your garden...and oh yeah, the house."

I had a very different experience from that of "Mxk3" - at a local Italian fruit market, we picked up for free those wooden crates that grapes come in. Reinforced a bit and filled with soil. I transplanted small pieces of my favorite irises and day lilies, along with other plants I had come to love. Also moved my mother's Festiva Maxima peony - a piece of it has come to every house I have ever owned. By the time moving day arrived, we had 22 of those grape crates ready to go, plus some other plants potted individually. To me, they were like family. The first thing we did at our new house was have a nurseryman build us a flower bed. 2nd week September, in went all the transplants. We lost very little and some of those plants are still thriving, in fact, there are plants in my garden that have been with me for over 30 years!

I'm like Shapiro--I'm in possession of peonies that have been getting carted around, first by my parents and now by me, since the 1960s. And I certainly wasn't going to let my forest pansy redbud get bulldozed when I last moved. (We sold to a developer, so I knew anything I didn't take would be doomed.)

I ended up filling a good-sized u-haul full of plants. That was seven years ago. I sold my house in October and moved in January, so my timing might be similar to yours. I dug early, balling and burlapping big things, potting smaller things, resorting to jewel bags for tough things like iris and hosta once I ran out of pots. I wasn't able to prepare a holding bed at the new place, so a lot of things got piled together and buried in mulch (which would probably be against regulations in a planned community). Some treasured things went into the unheated detached garage, where I wrapped them in old blankets. Most of the things that lived (and most did live) through the experience are happier in their present spots.

My general advice would be to expect some losses as well as successes, and maybe selective about what you take. And Mxk3 is probably right about some plants not working out at a new place--I've slowly let go of most of my plants that demanded heavy irrigation. But in general, unless you're a clean-slate kind of person, I think it's nice to bring a bit of your garden history with you.

I will have many gardens by the time I move from this house, and plan to move as much possible to a new house. I've already got lots of pots stored for swaps and things, including 6-10 gallon pots for moving larger shrubs and small trees. Much of what I don't bring will be given away to the neighborhood or friends or even put up on Freecycle.

When I moved here 5 years ago, I brought about 30 pots of perennials and shrubs plus one small Kousa dogwood tree my son got from the school. I spent the Spring digging the plants up, moved in August, and then the poor things pretty much stayed in pots for about 1-1/2 years (fall 03) before I could get them all planted.

I overwinter potted plants on the north side of the garage, all tucked together and mulched heavily with leaves, straw, whatever. They only need to be kept well-watered whenever there's a mild spell through the winter. The survival rate has been very good this way. I only lost 10-20% of the original plants and now have thriving Irises, Monarda, Coneflower, etc.

I get emotionally attached to my plants too - many have a history or came a from special person that I feel connected to because of the plant, even if they're no longer alive. I only brought a few sprigs of the Red bee balm from my mother and now it's a couple of healthy patches. The Kousa dogwood, which was only a little 12" baby when my son got it is now about 6 years old and 8 feet tall. I was thrilled when it bloomed for this first time this Spring!

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Susan, in 1995 we moved from Peoria, IL to Michigan. We had a large collection of hostas and we moved them in September of that year. We did not loose a one. We just dug them in and some we trenched in as we did not have time to arrange them in there new beds. We also had some other shade and sun perennials and they also did well.
We had to wrap a lot of the plants as there was not room enough to pot everything. We wrapped them in wet paper and put them in plastic bags. This worked real well as we dug them in as soon as we arrived.
I think you will also see what other people have done by checking the info on that in one of the above posts. We helped a friend of ours pot plants that was moving from Michigan to Columbus, Ohio. She had a large number and they made the move with flying colors. However, I hope the weather is kind to you when you move. Betty

I could write a whole paragraphs on this subject, but my advice will boil down to this sentence so i wont bother :)

Leave what you can easily find and replace, take the one's you cant.

In addition, Susan, if you have sold the property you have been gardening on, you cannot legally move any plants unless you have written a right to move them in the contract. They belong to the new owner.