“Bought The Property, Landscaping Included”: Woman Shocked By Ex-Homeowner’s Request 2 Years Later

I've got a sad, sweet story on this subject. My dad was buying a house from an old lady, whose husband had died several years before. She had been living with her daughter. She lovingly showed us the whole property, then hugged us and said she was so happy someone would be able enjoy it again, and she was glad she got to see it one last time. She asked if we would mind if she took a few leaves from her beloved blueberry bushes, to press in a book and save. We agreed, and we invited her to come pick the berries with us that summer. She called us occassionaly to see how we were enjoying the house, and my dad would talk to her about gardening. Eventually, we stopped hearing from her, so we called her daughter. She passed away the night of her last call with my dad. The day she died, she was so excited because we told her the berries were almost ripe. I like to think her heaven is filled with blueberries.

Uprooting such large plants would be crazy since they are very easily grown from cuttings.

Can I come take the bushes from my old house because of sentimental value? That is a brand new sentence

Absolutely not! They were part of the sale so they really have some audacity to ask years later apparently they aren’t that sentimental. Definitely with the person on getting cameras as they are likely to come and take them instead

Bro, don't even bother to respond. If they show up, say that you aren't giving up anything that they didn't think to take 2 years ago. And that you're sharing this information with the local police department just in case they feel froggy. And I'd put up a sign that says No trespassing. Because they will if you don't stand your ground.

Hydrangea are very easy to grow. So they can buy some at Lowe's, home Depot, Fred Meyers and etc. for as little as 9.99 plus tax. But 19.99 and etc. at Lowe's. They grow very fast and very big. Within two years or three they become really big. Tell them to go and buy a new one but if you tell it's okay then you have no idea what they will ask for next on, around or inside the property!

"I feel that I bought the property landscaping included". Aargh, this wishy-washy language drives me crazy! Unless you're living in someplace with very odd property laws, you DID buy the property with its included landscaping. And if you're in the U.S., it would also include appliances, built-ins, light fixtures, and window treatments, unless specified in the contract. That's the point of doing a walk-through just before signing the final documents -- to make sure the sellers don't try to take off with things that are supposed to stay. If you're buying a house, read your dang contract, ask your agent or lawyer any questions, and make sure you understand your rights and responsibilities. Then you can ask the proper question: "I know I have a right to say no here, but would I be an ahole for not giving a big chunk of my landscaping to this stranger?"

There is no way, especially after two years; I would let them take anything off the property! The absoulte nerve of them! Hell no!

I was several months pregnant helping my parents get settled in their new home. While they were away, a older man in a pickup quietly drove into their yard, parked where he couldn't be seen from the road, and preceeded to start unloading my dad's storage shed into his pick up. I went and got my dads riffel, stepped out on the porch and yelled, "Hey! What are you doing?" His face blanched, and he said, "I didn't know anyone was home." I replied, "Obviously. Put everything back, and get off the property." He started to object, "Let me explain..." I cocked the rriffel, and said, "Do your explaining as you put everything back." He scurried around unloaded the items back in the shed, while he explained he had been watching over the property for the owner. I said, "If that is the case, you won't mind coming back when my parents are home." He hurriedly got in his pickup and left. Funny, he never came back and asked for "his" stuff.

I wouldn't even respond back. It's a rediculus request.

A former neighbour sold their home, and a lovely pergola covered in roses was present at the open house showings. Not sure what the contract said, but pergola, patio, roses, and even the white gravel (not common in our area, darker grey is normal) was removed before the next owners moved in. Before, not after. Still strange, and commented among us neighbours for years.

Id say yes if they hire a professional to replace them with the same bushes of equal size and come back and care for them for a year to make sure they take. Save sentiment for small items

This is something that 100% should have been done before the house was even on the market. 2 years later is way too late. Or if she wants to be a nice person like an extra nice person, she can propagate some of the branches and give those to the lady. It's not hard to do to force Roots onto the branches of the plant. That would be enough for her to be considered selfless and nice. That is all that I would do because the plant is mine as the homeowner and no one else's. And that is above and beyond anything that she should do she has no responsibility to the former homeowner who should have never even asked in the first place what's wrong with this woman. Oh yeah privilege, and self-importance.

Once the sale has happened, the negotiation has ended. I sold a house once and the new owners tried to get me to pay for repairs after the sale. They'd had plenty of opportunities to inspect and negotiate beforehand, and had done so on another issue. But once it was sold, we were done.

This one reminds me of some show I saw where they bring previous owners back to see the house after new owners got settled in. Some woman literally lost it because they painted over her art work (a hand painted ivy vine I think it was) in the kitchen. Yes it looked nice the way she had the kitchen decorated but I'm sorry, it's their house now and she gets no say in how they decorate it. The gall of some people to think they can tell the new owner they can't change the interior. Other than a property being an eyesore or unkempt, no one has the right to tell another how or what they can do with their own property. I get it if it's historic but even then, some localities tell the homeowner what they can or can't do on the interior. Sorry but NO, you don't have that right unless you want to pay me for the house.

Beautiful flowers! They belong to you. You bought the property.

The previous owners should have put in the contract if they were sentimental, then I'm sure that would be understandable, but it isn't their property anymore. They would have only the grace of the new owners to have those bushes back. I wasn't sure why they pop up 2 years after new owners moved in.

Hydrangeas are about the easiest plant to propagate. I have 5 hydrangeas that I propagated from one of my mother's hydrangeas. Within 5 years they were enormous. Give the owner some cuttings and be done with it.

They have some nerve, two years later?? No! I have a vibernum tree that I planted as a seedling at my fathers house. I've always told him that if I get my own house, the tree comes with me. My husband thought he was helping by getting my precious tree as soon as we git the house. My 28 year old stunted tree is now in shock and I'm hoping it lives. It should have been moved in the fall. My sisters and brothers were very unhappy with the fact that I took my tree ( the blooms smell awesome) but it was stated when it was planted that it goes with me. My father had no issue with it. This is completely different in that it was not mentioned for two years and they were therefore sold with the home. The previous owners have some nerve even asking!

Oh that's easy. Hell No! And don't call me no more. Ever!

My guess is the ask is because, 2 years later, they've done some land scape pricing for their new house and found those type of old growth hydrangeas will cost a small fortune - guilt the new owner into letting you have them and you just pay moving. As has been said, if they were so attached to them they would have a. Taken them (mean and possibly fatal to the trees you have so many feelings for) or cuttings before the sale was final or b. Asked if they could have cuttings now . Take the whole tree and it could die, cuttings either way would be kinder. It's about the grown trees alright just not the way they're trying to make out

We literally had this happen. It was years later... Last homeowner stopped and wanted to dig up up some of her old plants. 🤦‍♀️

No no no no. The time to ask for plantings is BEFORE the deal goes down. If you want your plantings, put it into the purchase agreement. If you're planning to take plantings, put it in writing. Otherwise, what the new owners bought, the new owners bought. Landscaping included. 2 years later, the former owners are SOL.

Offer to let them have new ones planted with insurance to guarantee survival then see if they think it's worth it

They can go buy those same flowers and grow their own. I wouldn’t give them anything. They’re beautiful

WTF? Hell no! You bought the house, yard, land it’s on AND the landscaping, PERIOD. NO take backs “because of sentimental reasons “ if there were that should have been negotiated during the sale process. Come on people get a grip on reality! How about… 2 yrs later…”we love those toilets sooo much we want them back” REALLY??? F**k no.

The previous owner(s) may have passed away and told one of the relatives beforehand to get them when they go. Or a relative probably whines about the sentimental value of it and is do depressed. Yep don’t read anymore emails. Block of you can if they start calling. Set them up to go to spam. Put up extra cameras. And when you do get that letter from a sleazy lawyer they found(they will find one) make them pay to remove them and pay to replace them or do some really high end landscaping style you choose from a landscaper of your choice.

My Mum had a friend who's yard was filled with Hydrangeas. She said that years before she had trimmed one bush then used the branches as stakes for other plants...... I think if she wanted to help out the previous owners she can offer some cuttings.

If i have to move there are some flowers i want to bring with me though i might not be allowed as they are blacklisted in norway >_>. too bad the bees love these now illegal flowers. But yeah its 2 years too late to uproot.

Similar situation just happened to us. We just moved into our house end of May. The property had a wide array of beautiful perennials. I was excited to get my hands dirty and start gardening. To our surprise, moving day, we discovered the previous owners had dug out many plants leaving holes all through the property. 20 to be exact. We counted them. Not only did they remove "sentimental" plants no where mentioned in our purchasing contract but they also swapped out a double oven stove with a simple older one along with other unpleasantries. We communicated all this with our lawyer as well as our realtor. Long story short, no one did anything about it and told us our only option was to go to small claims court. Very disappointed in our justice system. Everyone got their commission after the sale yet we were left short changed in the transaction.

Different opinion: while i don't think the old owners were great about it, the new house owner is overreacting. Sure, these things should be specified within the contract, so if it wasn't the new owner can say no, but it seems they are just asking, and there might be valid reasons ( perhaps they have finally moved to a place with a garden? Perhaps they got them from someone who they recently lost?) I would personally just ask them why it is so important to them all of a sudden. My parents had a very similar situation: when they bought the house, the contract specfied some plants that were not included, but everyone sort of forgot. The new owner took quite a bit if time before picking them up (i think a year) and my mum was a bit miffed about it at first, but it turned out he had lost his daughter, and taking them any sooner had been too emotional. Doesn't hurt to not be an a*****e and just ask, instead of getting all worked up and making online posts about them