Moving house and abandoning your garden to the care of strangers is a terrible wrench. You can’t take it all with you (and the new owners would be none too pleased), but, with a new garden beckoning, it seems a pity not to take a “starter pack” of reliable plants from your current property to help you on your way — and to save money.

It’s wise to remove some plants before you put the house on the market — or to discuss what you would like to do with the potential purchasers — so that they don’t find unexpected gaps after you have left.

While the taking of a few seeds and cuttings is unlikely to present a problem, you should be aware that shrubs and plants are part of the property you are selling and cannot be removed without the buyer’s agreement once contracts have been exchanged.

Even before the exchange of contracts, you should take care to ensure that your buyer cannot complain that he was induced to buy by the presence of certain plants in the garden subsequently removed by you.

Get going on your horticultural starter pack as soon as you decide to sell, and make sure you are clear about what else you intend to reserve from the sale when you give your solicitor the information he needs to prepare the seller’s information sheet.

Be realistic about what you want to take with you. First, check the soil in your new garden. It’s pointless digging up a plant if your new home cannot offer its preferred environment — an acid-lover, for example, will not survive in thin, chalky soil.

Don’t be greedy, either. Mature specimen shrubs that have been in the ground for more than three years can be difficult to move and may die in the process. Even if they survive, they will take time to settle down, so sometimes it is best to start with a new plant. In particular, shrubs with tap roots, such as those in the broom family, are best left. They are fast growers anyway, if starting from scratch. And magnolias will sulk for years if their roots are disturbed, so leave them for others to enjoy.

Happily, most perennials relish being divided, so it is worth splitting any plants that have formed good clumps.

There should be no gap when you have finished, and you will have done the plant a favour. Although all the books say divide in the spring, on this occasion you are better dividing them in the autumn — so that you know exactly what you have dug up. Safely potted up, the plant will have a head start for next spring. Remember your transferred plants will need watering in dry spells, for the first and possibly the second summer.

Taking cuttings in summer is the best way to keep a favourite plant without leaving gaps in the foliage. Fast-growing and easily rooting lavender, rosemary, cistus and santolina are all useful for creating a quick impact in a new garden, so this is always worth doing; all the better if you can offer some winter protection while the plants are still potted. Also collect seeds from annuals such as nigella and opium poppies.

When you have moved, don’t forget that you should embrace the opportunity to experiment — you cannot take everything, and there will be a few specimens that you will not want to grow again. So now is the chance to try something new. Gardening is all about discovery, after all.

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