Why Every Gardener Should Grow a “Passalong” Plant
These easy-to-divide plants have been shared among families, friends, and neighbors for generations—and often carry memories along with them.
When I look around my garden, I am connected instantly to people I love. Lush peonies from my grandmother’s garden fill one bed on the west side of my house, while her creeping sedum and lamb’s ear are growing here and there throughout my landscape beds. My mom’s hens and chicks fill a corner of another bed. Now, I feel close to their memories whenever I see these plants.
Plants that have been passed along from one family member or friend to another are nothing new. People have been sharing cuttings and transplants far and wide forever. Plant explorers found new plants during their travels and brought them home (the first recorded plant explorations date to 1500 to 1200 BCE!). And we’ve all admired a plant in a neighbor’s garden and wished for a snip to transplant.
Many of these perennials that we call “passalong” are easily divided to make new plants. Ideally, it’s recommended to take pieces in early spring as new growth comes up, though it’s fine to transplant in fall, too. But if you’re visiting someone in midsummer and they want to share a plant, go ahead and take it! We can’t always time things perfectly. I’ve transplanted a coveted plant in midsummer, when I had no other choice. If you keep things watered (or in a pot in the shade until fall), you often can get away with less-than-ideal timing.
Passalong plants help expand your garden in a thrifty way—a point my grandmother would emphasize! But more importantly, they help us make new gardening friends and nurture our shared passion for digging in the dirt. Most of all, these plants keep our loved ones close, even long after they are gone, and connect us to the next generation of gardeners.
Ahead are nine of my favorite passalong plants—easy-to-divide perennials that are perfect for sharing with friends and family.
Peony
Peony plants are sturdier than you think, so go ahead and share with a fellow gardener. Use your spade to take a chunk off the edges of the plant. They’re sometimes iffy about blooming the first season after you move them, though I’ve actually had good luck the first year as long as I’ve kept enough soil attached. Don’t plant the pieces too deep or they won’t bloom.
Hens and Chicks
Hens and chicks is a classic old-school plant our grandparents grew. These succulents multiply quickly in the right environment. Dig up a few of the babies, or “chicks,” that form around the mother plant, or take a few of the larger “hens” and transplant.
Lamb’s Ear
This silvery low-growing groundcover-like plant has fuzzy foliage, like a lamb’s ear. The unusual-looking flowers are a favorite of hummingbird moths and other pollinators. It divides easily; use a hand trowel to take a piece from the outer edge.
Creeping Sedum
This low-growing succulent loves sun and poor soils. The tiniest piece of this plant will transplant with ease. I actually transported it in a damp paper towel across three states from my Gram’s garden.
Daylily
Daylilies actually like being divided every few years or they don’t bloom well. If yours are looking a little lackluster or have few blooms this year, it’s time to divide and make some new plants. You can dig out the entire clump and separate individual pieces, or chunk a section from the edges. Pop it in a pot temporarily if you can’t transplant right away.
Iris
Irises also need to be divided regularly or they lose steam. If the center of your iris clump is not blooming, you need to relocate some of the rhizomes. Dig up the clump and separate it into individual rhizomes, each with a bit of the fan of foliage. Plant new pieces just about at soil level and no deeper or they won’t bloom.
Canna Lily
My cannas always seem to multiply like crazy every year. Although they’re perennial in warm climates, you’ll need to lift them from the ground after the first frost in cold climates. This is a great time to divide them, or you can store the rhizomes in a cool, dark place and divide and share them next spring.
Dahlia
Dahlias are another great passalong because they make new tubers every year. If you live in a cold climate, you’ll have to dig up the tubers after the first frost. Pass them along now or store in a cool, dark spot and share in the spring.
Perennial Herbs
Many perennial herbs are great for sharing because they grow like weeds. Simply take a piece off the outside edge of the plant with a hand trowel. For those that self-seed readily, such as onion or garlic chives, you can share pieces of plant or simply the dried flower heads as they begin to go to seed.
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