If you’ve read the older post referenced here, you already know part of this story. For everyone else, here’s the whole thing. Back in 2007, right before we got married and long before this blog existed, my parents gave us a tiny Japanese maple. It started as a 24″ offshoot near the big maple in their yard. We planted it in our first backyard, said a few plant prayers, and over the next three years it grew a little—though we don’t have many photos from that time.
The tree meant a lot to us because of its connection to our wedding and to my childhood home. When my parents moved and sold the house, we dug it up and brought it to our second house. That decision would become part of the maple’s ongoing journey.
Our last move happened in winter, so we feared the transplant might have killed it. To our surprise, it survived and even managed to grow a bit more, though it often blended into the surrounding purple shrubs and didn’t stand out in photos.
When my parents moved out of my childhood home, the tree became even more meaningful. We dug it up again to bring it along, even though it had grown since the first move. Note: if you plan to take a plant when you sell a house, dig it up before listing. Anything planted in the yard is usually expected to convey with the property unless the sale contract specifies otherwise.
Digging it up was straightforward. We made a wide circle around the base and loosened the soil until the root ball came free. The roots were compact enough to fit in a plastic bin I had on hand. It was heavier than before, which made for a funny moment captured when I hoisted it and a leaf slapped me in the face.
We moved it to the new house right away so it wouldn’t be in the way during showings. It barely fit in our car, but we managed—Sherry rode in the backseat with maple leaves sticking out and joked about looking like we were hauling something illicit. Fortunately, no one stopped us.
After a period of settling in and hosting showings, we knew the maple couldn’t live in its bin forever. We chose a spot on the edge of the woods near our deck so it would be visible from the house and have room to grow—unlike the previous location where it got crowded by other plants.
Transplanting in the summer made us nervous, so we mixed compost and garden soil into the planting hole to give the roots a good start. Recent rains have helped, and so far the maple appears to be doing fine.
Our biggest concern has been deer. We see a lot of them around lately, and they can chew low shrubs. So far the maple hasn’t been appealing to them—I even watched one sniff the tree and walk away. Fingers crossed it stays untouched.
Have you had success or failures with transplanting? Do you have sentimental plants or other items that have moved with you over the years? This little maple is now living in its fourth yard, counting the place where it first sprouted, and we can’t help but feel a little proud watching it grow up.