New River Valley Master Gardeners

Sharing Knowledge, Empowering Communities

Pass Along Plant Project

For centuries, people have been passing along their plants – a granddaughter is gifted a begonia her grandmother nurtured over the years; a neighbor gifts a tomato plant they grew from seed; a son give his mother a sunflower plant he started at school.

Horticulture therapy research (including research by Emeritus Virginia Tech Professor, Diane Relf) has shown that mental and physical health can improve when someone cares for a plant and shares it with others. So not only does one person reap the benefits from passing along plants, but a trickle effect also results.

The goal of the NRV Master Gardener Pass Along Plants project is to put plants in the care of as many people as possible, through sharing plant cuttings, new rooted plants or potted plants. The only “cost” of receiving the plants is that the recipient agrees to care for the plant, and when it grows big enough, the new plant parent shares it with others through plant cuttings. The next person will have the opportunity, as the next plant parent, to nurture something living that they can in turn pass along.

We partner with organizations that work with children and adults of all ages, to provide education on the benefits of plant care, as well as plants to call their own and then share.

Pass Along Plants events have several educational goals, allowing people to learn by experiencing:

  • Basic skill of caring for plants, understanding basic botany, entomology, and soil concepts.
  • Understanding how our action impact the life of plants and thus the life on earth
  • Feeling the joy of nurturing life and of sharing the results of our effort
  • The stress relieving benefits of taking care of plants that research has documented and COVID 19 has reinforced

Our efforts aim to bring these opportunities indoors for apartment dwellers, winter gardeners, and those in nursing home as other places with limited access to gardens. This program is intended to bring the garden and the nurturing of plants to the multitude of people who do not currently have access to traditional gardening spaces.

Here are some useful links to learn more about why we have this program:

Useful Documents to Help You Successfully Grow, and Pass Along, Your New Plants