Even if you do transfer some plants from your old house to the new, it’s still hard to leave behind the garden you’ve invested so much time, effort and money in.
One way to help ensure its continuing care is to leave a garden map for the new homeowners. “When you love the yard that much, it’s a nice gesture to tell the new owner about the landscaping and its care either on the walk-through or in a map,” says Carol Duncan, a real-estate agent with The Duncan Team, Keller Williams.
Paul Tighe, owner of Clean Cut Lawn, suggests including the name, blooming season, care and pruning needs of each plant, shrub or tree. If the yard was professionally done, leave the landscape company’s blueprints behind.
When Jenny McDonald moved into her first home, the previous owner had left all of the plant tags in a container under the kitchen sink.
Although she wished the tags had been attached to the plants themselves, it provided McDonald with an educational opportunity to find and identify all the plants, learning their Latin name and plant characteristics.
When she moved to her new home last January, the former homeowners left the landscape blueprints which laid out everything. “This makes identifying the plants and trees very easy for me,” McDonald says. “I’m really looking forward to discovering each of these plants as they bloom throughout the year.”
Think of it as a treasure map for the garden you tended and toiled over in hopes that the new owners will appreciate it as much as you did. Courtney Drake- McDonough
