[Jessimaaka]

I was watching "Moving Up"...basically you sell your house, the new people come in, do some renovations, and you come back in and say whether you like them or not. So a young couple bought an elderly couple's house on the one I was watching. The older woman was an avid gardener (flowers, bushes etc., not food), and she left a special hosta as a gift to the new couple. She was very upset when she came back and noticed it was removed (pretty much most of the garden was changed, it wasn't just that one, and they were never told it was a gift to them).

So I was thinking...
- Would you ever leave a gift like that for new homeowners?
- Would you be insulted if they removed it?
- Would you like to receive a gift like that?
- Do you think you should be told about the gift?

[crunchywannabe]

I personally wouldn't leave a 'gift' but if I did I would absolutely leave a note or something about it.

When I was little my parents bought a house and about a year after living there the previous owner, who I guess had moved into an apartment, and then into another house, came back and my mom found her in the yard digging up lilac bushes to take with her... I guess she thought that because she was the one who planted them, they were still hers.
When you sell a house, you just gotta let it all go! They will paint, plant, and landscape how they want, and it might be a different style than yours!

[mccaroline]

I've never left a gift like that, but the house before this one was similar as in we bought from an older couple. The woman asked to meet with me before she moved out and we moved in. She wanted to show me around her gardens and tell me what was planted where, I could tell she was very proud of her gardens so I did the best I could to look after them for as long as we lived there.

[Jessimaaka]

I agree they should have left a note or something!

Our house, the man passed away after being really ill for a while. His estate was selling it. It was also clear that no gardening had been done in at least 5 years. It was so overgrown, things were waist high. Everything still keeps growing back no matter what we do

[Corrupt]

Yeah she should have left a note.
I wouldn't plant something special as a gift without meeting the person and getting the feeling it's something they'd like; everyone has different tastes (for example I'm really not a hosta fan). If someone left me something special though and informed me it was a gift, I would find a way to incorporate it but I would prefer a gift card or something specific from my wish list (I tell people to buy plants when I'm asked for gift ideas and they always look at me like I asked for a broom).

[magz88]

I had a wildflower garden in my front yard in my first house. I went by the house last year and she reseeded the front yard to grass. I kind of expected them to return it to grass.

I wouldn't leave a 'gift' plant unless I knew the new owners would appreciate it.

I will be taking at least a third of my plants with me whenever I move - I actually plan on putting that in the chattels sections of the sale.