How do you move?

If everything goes as planned, we should be in arkansas before the new school year starts. We're hoping that everything falls in to place.
I've spent the past couple of days wandering around the yard wondering what to take and what not to. How do you leave your plants? I know that Bill will refuse to let me rent an entire uhaul just for the plants,lol....not to mention there's no telling what kind of yard our rental place will have.
I have so many bananas, vines, brugs, bulbs....
I want to take them all, but know i cant....how do you leave a banana that you've searched hi and lo for, or that brug that gloria gave or ........the list is endless.
I know that there are some things that i cant bring because they are too large, but how do you decide what to take?
This is agony.

Wow MSJen, that is a hard decision. I just recently got into gardening and I love it. If we had to move, I would also be hard pressed to figure out what to take. My parents moved from San Jose to Dallas (they are huge gardeners) and so they pretty much did have a Uhaul just for plants. Crazy as it sounds...but they all survived. Hang in there! Moving is a difficult experience even without having a yard full of plants that all mean something to you. I guess I'm not much help...Michelle

Send them to friends here at Dave's to keep for you until you are ready for them.

That's what I was thinking too Jim. And the ones that are too big, give to friends and family close by where you are now, and then when you come back to visit, you can take them home. Some of them you can maybe just take a start from with you?

Or, just call me, I'll be right over to take all of the ones you don't have room for to my house!!! ROFL!!
Janet

Good ideas! I've started digging and potting some stuff, but the pile started getting so big. There is just no way to take it all. I think i'll talk to mom and see if she'll "nana sit" for me, problem is she probably wont want to give them back, lol.
Janet, i tell ya girl, .....dave would kill you if i brought all of these over, lol.
Guess i need to start another sase round, eh? Maybe add a clause that when i'm ready for starts, they'll be available?
Just so hard to decide...also hard to not put stuff in the ground that i know needs to go in. Some plants just dont do well confined to pots.
I wonder if there is anybody near Mountain Home that i could forward some of these too?

You could always take the ones that people gave you and a few you bought yourself. Its going to be hard either way. I had to leave so many plants in Missouri when I moved her to Arizona, but I knew they wouldn't survive out here. Thankfully the people who are in our old house love them as much as I did. Good luck!

Jen, start with what you know will survive there in Arkansas. You know it gets a lot colder there than where you are now. Ask around to see if anyone has kept the small/medium/large cheapo pots that plants come in from the nursery. Pot up as many as you can. Then once you have ALL the plants potted up (all those that would survive Arkansas, that is), you can decide what to do with them. Which to take, which to leave as a plantsitter, which to give away with the clause that you'll get a cutting when you want it. I've thought about this alot seeing as I really want to spend a few years in the States. It may never actually happen, but I've given my plants so much TLC, I'd hate to leave them behind. Especially those that I know would be hard to replace. So with my succulents, I'd take one or two leaves from all of them that can be started that way. I could get a sample of all of my succulents in one large ziplock bag! Compact, but at least I'd have the starts! I'd also try really hard to get seeds from the plants I know would be hard to obtain there. Taking actual rooted plants wouldn't be allowed, but the seeds and a few little leaves might make it. Of course, I'd be extra careful to check which plants simply aren't allowed into the States and I'd make sure all of the leaves I took with me would be thoroughly cleaned and dried to ensure I wasn't taking any bad stuff along with me.

I also think that since you aren't moving around the world, Joan's suggestion of taking a few plants back with you each time you go to visit sounds like a fabulous plan! And since you don't know the size of the garden you'll be moving to, small plants/cuttings would really be the best way to go anyway.

Think about what's been so hard to obtain. What's common. Don't dig up chrysanthemums for heaven's sake, but do try to find a way to take your banana plant or find a babysitter for it until you can come back for him. Don't dig up your daylilies, but do at least take cuttings of that beloved Epiphyllum. Of course, I have no idea what you really have in your garden, I'm just trying to make a point. It is really hard, but you can figure out what you really can't live without.....and I'm certain you'll be able to find room for more than just the bare minimum :-). If you think "cuttings!!!!" you'll be sure to have a large portion of your garden going with you :-).

Oh, and think about the outdoor plants you have now that might work as houseplants in Arkansas. And take cuttings from those to give you a lift when you're feeling low and missing Mississippi! :-) You've got plenty of time to get cuttings rooted, so get to it Jen! :-) If I didn't live so far away, I'd send you the hundreds of nursery pots I've got in my shed. You can also pot up several cuttings in one pot to save room during the actual move...then transplant them to individual pots once you get there.

-Julie

Jen, I am preparing to move also, & YES I will have to rent a pull behind trailer to carry my plants! I told DH, (who is not a plant person), that either my plants go or I stay! LOL! We have sold our house here & are moving to a house on 1&1/2 acre in Commerce, Ga. I will definately have a green house there. You would not believe how much potting soil I have bought to pot up plants.I'm going to miss the growing time here, but NOT the hurricanes!
Good luck on your move. Melba

MSJen,

Now you know you can make that trip by yourself and pull your own u-haul. . Didn't you go look at the property by yourself to start? You can do it girl.

I advise to take all your plants that you care anything about because if you don't you will regret it. I know, been there done that. Greenhouse or maybe sunhouse since they are warmer, of some type first, doesn't have to be fancy but needs to be a priority.... the plants are part of what you are!!!

Just my 2 cents.

Judy

isnt it funny how we can be so strong and then how quickly we forget it? problem is we have 2 cars and a boat and horse trailer to pull, ........but, when you think that i probably have $100's if not $1000's in plants, whats the cost of 3 tanks of gas and a hotel?
what were hoping the plan is that when bill gets home late june, we'll wait for the grandbaby and then head up there, look for a place to rent, come back here, take the girls up there and get them boarded. Come back here, get him back to iraq and then the boys and i will work at getting stuffed packed and moved. I need to call a moving company to see what they would charge to move us...plants and all, lol.
i did enough dity moves when the ex was in the army that i think its time to let someone else do it for me.

Jen,

If you get your Mom to nana-sit maybe she can send you up the pups when they sprout out of the ground. If that doesn't work let me know, I have a few banana trees in my backyard and I am sure they will sprout some pups this summer. I can send you one when that happens. Mine survived the winters in Atlanta so maybe they would be ok in Arkansas too.

You should keep a list of things you had to leave behind. I am sure some DGers would help you out (including me if I have anything you lost).

Polar

Jen, had an estimate yesterday from Bekins moving co. They want $5370.00 to transport our household goods to Commerce, Ga!! They will NOT transport live plants! NOT going to happen! We can get a U-haul for $886.00, car carrier for my Blazer for $201.00, covered trailer to pull behind my DH pickup to haul my plants for $198.00. Now in Fl if you have a rental truck, you must stop at the AG stations, not so with a pull-behind trailer. This will be the way we move back to Ga! Check carefully into moving companys about transporting live plants! Good luck on your move, Melba

okay......for $6000 i can do a dity, lol.
I dont remember any ag stations on the way there and remember seeing all u-hauls going past the weigh stations. Maybe i can bring the horse trailer back with me and use that as my plant hauler, lol.
I think things will work out, i just wouldnt be me if i didnt worry about stuff like this.
Thanks for all the ideas and of course the offeres to help,
Jen

Jen, I had no idea your DH was in Iraq! Sheesh I feel stupid! Is there any way you can load boxes of plants into your boat? I have no idea if that is even allowed across state lines, but if it is, you could easily pack them well enough that you wouldn't have to worry about them toppling and getting broken or messing up the boat. Just a thought. Using the horse trailer as a plant hauler is actually a wonderful idea! You could get some pretty tall plants in there....and if you packed them in there tightly enough (with other boxes if need be) you wouldn't have any worries about the plants falling over. Definitely a good idea if you do end up taking the horses up first! :-)

-Julie

Good luck Jen! I am in the process of digging and saving for a move myself. Not as far as your move though. I am leaving things that are cheap/common/and that don't have special memories. Course that means that everything from here is going with me! :)

Hope you get it worked out!

Nicole

Nicole,
I'm finding thats the biggest downfall of daves, everything came from someone, lol.
Julie,
He's actually been there since July '03 and comes home about every 3 months...its time for him to come home for good, but were shooting for dec. Its tough, but i manage, of course, alot of stuff doesnt get done, but heck most of it didnt get done when he was home, lol

Oh Jen! What a really long time to be away from your husband. Big big hugs to you and extra strong "stay safe" prayers for Bill! I hope he's home for good much sooner than December! Wouldn't that be a wonderful gift :-)

-Julie