Florida Passalong Plants

A boldly colored flower red and yellow

Daylily, 'Spacecoast Francis Busby'

One of the great pleasures of gardening is sharing information with family members, friends, and neighbors. But perhaps the best benefit of sharing with other gardeners is receiving and giving passalong plants.

A gardening tradition, passalong plants are those that are easily propagated, difficult to find in retail nurseries, and are "passed along" to other gardening friends. Each holds a story of where it came from and the loving hands that grew it.

Many old varieties, such as heirloom vegetables, are available only as passalong plants from other gardeners. These gardeners may have been cultivating them for generations.

By sharing plants, you are also preserving them. If by an unfortunate chance your original plant is lost from freeze or disease, a plant friend may be able to return the favor of giving a piece of the passalong plant.

Interested in passing some of your own plants along? The general rule for dividing plants is to propagate them opposite their blooming season—so plants that bloom in the fall should be divided in the spring. Save seeds as they mature and plant cuttings throughout the year to pass along to your favorite gardeners.

Watch

Want to learn more about passalong plants? Check out this webinar from Wendy Wilber, the Master Gardener Volunteer Statewide Coordinator on our YouTube channel.

Some Plants to Pass Along