Selling an Acer plant?

Hi,

I'm new to this website (& gardening) so please bear with me if this is a silly question. I have recently purchased a house where the previous owners loved gardening. I've come to learn that one of the plants in the garden is an Acer plant and is worth quite a lot. I was just wondering if it is possible to sell this? I have attached a picture for reference.

I love the garden as it is but I have a baby on the way and don't think I would get much time to keep the garden in the lovely condition it is in but I feel awful about digging it all up! Any advice? Thank you!

 

Nice garden.

 

Hiya there HanifaH.
Disagree a bit there....I think it is worth quite a bit. Could be any variety of purple japanese acer but it is of an enviable size.
However, it looks so good there HanifaH. It is a lovely thing to have in a garden. It is a low maintenance shrub too and shouldnt really take up your time. You may come to regret losing it too. Besides, digging up such a big well established shrub is risky.
Get rid of other plants but keep the acer
Welcome to the forum by the way

 

to GC @HanifaH and congratulations on your new house and the added wonderful event of a precious new baby on the way Very exciting times ahead of you in the near future for sure!

There is no such thing as a "silly" question.

ok

ok.

So, we have two issues?

The first being the Acer: are you looking to dig it up *because* you have been advised it may be worth a few bob? Buying houses, having babies are an expensive business, so I hope I do not offend with my suggestion, but is it the monetary value which is the driving force in wanted to dig it up? To my eye, the way the garden has been planned, the acer appears to be an integral part of the design and to lose it would leave quite a (large) stark gap which would need filling. What would you replace it with?

It is a beautiful garden and I think may even have held some sway when deciding on whether to buy ... it doesn't appear to be a high maintenance garden either. In other words, it wouldn't take hours of dedication each day to keep it neat, tidy and thriving.

Babies, on the other hand, do take a lot of time, energy and focus so I completely understand your concerns. May I just say this: babies grow very quickly and I think your baby will outgrow the baby stage long before the garden becomes an overgrown jungle. From the condition of the garden at its current stage, you are looking at maintenance of a weekly mow (less during the winter) and a bit of weeding in the borders (less during the winter). Realistically, you do not need to make any rash decisions about what to keep, what to leave until the very earliest .... March 2018 ... 5 months time!

Because babies can be extremely demanding, time consuming, even exhausting (!), there may come a time (or three!) where you might even feel like ... and that gorgeous bench, with the view of the Acer may just be that little piece of quiet reflection you might come to rely on to take a few deep breaths, centre yourself, reflect and then ... return to house and baby just that bit calmer

In a nutshell: if money drives the idea of selling the acer - go for it! If concerns about keeping the garden tidy with a new baby around is the driving factor - fear not! A baby is a baby for such a short space of time ... plus, doing a bit of weeding/mowing, can actually be a good exercise when under pressure and that is all that garden requires in the forthcoming year (or two!).