Offering owners extra time to collect plants from garden

Wellieboot

We are (fingers crossed) moving towards exchange and completion in the next few weeks. In the Fixtures and Fittings list it says that the Vendors intend to take some of the plants from the garden with them, which is obviously fine with us.

The garden (mostly productive veg garden) has been lovingly tended and I have been told that the woman is a professional gardener and grows flowers for the local farmers market. As a keen but amateur gardener and veg grower myself, I know that August is not the time to be moving established plants. For this reason, I would like to offer the vendors the opportunity to list and mark the plants they want to take, and come back to get them in the Autumn/winter if needed.

(On a purely selfish note, I would love the opportunity to meet them so I can find out about the garden, the soil and drainage etc, how they have been managing it so far, any tips and information about the plants they are leaving, any spring bulbs under the surface that we should be aware of etc etc.)

My question is, how to communicate with them about this? Is this something I should do a) Formally through the solicitor as a part of our clarification of the contract, b) Informally via a call to the EA or c) Very informally, a note through their door or similar?

Any one else had any experience of this? Any advice gratefully received

BitterAndTwisted

I'd go for c)

They have indicated that they would like to remove "some" of the plants and I'd want to know precisely which they are going to be. Once you've discussed that directly, then would be the time to indicate that you might be willing to let them take them away after completion.

Annisele

I'd be worried about the plants dying between completion and the vendors coming to collect them - or about the vendors coming around every other day to look after the plants.

I'd go d) - discuss the whole thing with your solicitor. The vendors have already told you they want to take some plants, so your solicitor is going to have to be involved to work out what they're actually selling to you. You can discuss the rest of it with your solicitor at the same time.

Wellieboot

Thanks. I think I'm maybe just being a bit 'over nice' as usual.

Will talk it through with my solicitor as suggested and MAYBE offer them the opportunity to come back for a few selected plants once we know what they are intending to do.

However, they decided to put the house on the market at this time of year and as they are gardeners, I expect they've already thought it through and decided which ones they're taking.

Posting here stopped me jumping in with two feet and phoning the EA this afternoon though, which is a definitely a good thing!

I didn't even consider the possibility of any of the plants dying :eek: