Heirloom Plants
Growing A Legacy
Heirloom plants, or generational plants as they are sometimes called, are a growing trend. In a world of easily replaceable objects, it can be meaningful to have a living belonging that relies on us for its care, and that we can share with our family.
These heirloom plants do not have to be incredibly old or rare, they don't even have to be expensive. The important thing is that all the TLC and time we put into growing them will be passed on.
GROWING OLDER
Some generational plants have long lives and can continue to thrive under the careful eye of a new generation. These plants can include bonsai of all varieties, zygo cacti (Christmas or Easter cacti), jade plants, or other long-living tropicals such as ficus or monstera.
Make sure to include care instructions or teach your children how to best care for your plants before passing them on.
Learn more about bonsai care here.
Learn how to care for a zygo cactus here.
Not only are most cacti long lived and slow growing, but they don't require a lot of care. In fact, over watering or repotting cacti is the most common way to kill these plants.
A personal cacti plant, or cactus collection, can be a special thing to gift to loved ones to enjoy—without worrying about giving them a lot of extra work.
A NEW GENERATION
Another way to create a generational plant for your family is to pick one that is easy to propagate. You can hold onto the mother plant and share the babies, or cuttings, with the whole clan.
Plants that are easy-going and easy to grow from cuttings include pothos, string of pearls, and ZZ plant. Spider plants have a plethora of baby plants all the time, so they are easy to give away and watch grow.
Learn about caring for a ZZ plant here.
Whichever plant you choose to add to your family, make sure it's a plant you can love for a long time! In some ways, passing on a long-cared-for plant is like passing on a lot of love into someone else's life, where it can continue to grow.