It’s a sweltering hot day in July and I’m hiding behind a rhododendron bush.
A fuchsia pink rhododendron bush firmly planted in one corner of the parking lot in front of my local library.
You may be tempted to think I’m just there to revel in the shade, but the reason why I’m actually peeking out every ten seconds has nothing to do with sun protection, but everything to do with getting free houseplants.
I’m keeping close tabs on a man in a van. Well, not exactly a van. More like a Prius. But in my mind, the man – a stranger I’ve talked to on the Internet and have arranged to meet in real life – might as well be driving a van.
A few days prior to finding myself under the camouflage of pink rhododendron buds, I had put out a call-for-clippings. Not an academic endeavor, but a simple announcement on Craigslist that I had just moved to the area and was looking to restart my houseplant collection with the help of generous strangers who had free houseplant cuttings to give away.
That’s when some guy messaged me saying that he and his mother (red flag?) had a large collection that he’d be happy to share.
Fast forward to the Prius stalking in the parking lot of a small town Pennsylvania library.
We’ve already established that the day was as hot as the fried dough that area of Pennsylvania is well known for. So the guy opens all the doors of his Prius to reveal, in all its glory, the one thing that I am there for. There it is, perched on the back seat – the magical and majestic banana cardboard box of my dreams. Only instead of bananas, it’s full of pots and vases and little trailing pothos vines.
And this is the story of how I realized how generous and friendly the plant lovers community is.
Way before Instagram was a thing. Way before you could vet your neighbors on Nextdoor or Marketplace. Way before #plantswap was a hashtag.
Luckily for my wallet – and my peace of mind – getting houseplants for free or for very low prices has become easier.
Here are six ways I got houseplants for free or for cheap.
(But before we go on, please, I beg you, have an ounce of common sense and make sure that you take all the necessary precautions when you meet with strangers.)
1. Get free plants from friends
Ok, not exactly rocket science, but you never know until you ask.
Case in point, I had been in a new group of friends for three months before I realized that I shared a love of houseplants and gardening with one of them. You see, we were meeting weekly to partake in a common hobby, so I had never been to their house (or them to mine). So I had no clue we would also bond over a love of apartment foliage.
By the time the conversation got around to houseplants, I was comfortable enough to ask if they had any clippings to share. They did, and I got a brand new succulent to add to my collection. Not only that, but they now know that I’m on the lookout for new baby plants, and have offered more several times after that.
2. Ask permission to get clippings from strangers
Please, don’t steal houseplants.
Similarly, don’t knock on strangers’ doors to ask for houseplant cuttings. That might work if you know your neighbors, or if you live in a small tight-knit community. But it’s more likely to come off as creepy.
What you can do is slip a nicely worded card in their mailbox to you introduce yourself and ask politely whether you can have some of their excess cuttings.
Here’s what you can say:
Hi, neighbor! My name is _________ and I live in the neighborhood. Every time I walk past your house, I can’t help but admire the beautiful plants you have in your window. If you ever need to trim or divide your plants, I’d be very grateful to adopt the extra plantlets. You can contact me at [your email address here]. And it’s totally ok if you don’t think this is a good idea, too. I just thought I’d ask. Hope you have a nice day!
Be prepared to take no for an answer, but also be prepared to be amazed by the generosity of strangers.
3. Get cheap plants from hobbyists or small businesses on Etsy
Etsy has become one of my favorite places to get small houseplants. You can get interesting houseplants on Etsy that you can’t always find in stores. And you may think that buying from a big box store is cheaper. It could be, but I find that buying plants on Etsy makes sense because small businesses that sell on the platform often don’t have a storefront, so they’re able to keep their overhead low and sell plants at lower prices.
I also look for baby plants or rootings that are much cheaper, both to purchase and to ship.
Etsy also makes it easy to select sellers by location, so start with your home state first. Plants have a much higher chance of getting to your doorstep unschated if they don’t spend too much time in transit.
4. Swap plants on your local social media groups
In the good ole’ day (Pre-C19), I would have been the first one to recommend attending houseplant swapping events. What’s more fun than having a face-to-face conversation with other houseplant lovers, and exchanging tips on how to best care for your babes?
(Don’t worry, I’m an introvert too. Plant swaps are full of us.)
Alas, the times when we were able to mingle with a group of strangers carefree seem to be behind us for now.
But you can look for online alternatives to swap your houseplants: Nextdoor (available in the United States, Germany, France and the Netherlands), Facebook groups for plant lovers, or neighborhood Facebook groups.
I prefer Nextdoor because they vet their members (to a degree), so you’re more likely to meet someone who lives nearby. And I may be biased, but that’s how I once found a very nice neighbor to give a new sunny home to my overwatered and overstressed peace lily.
When you’re posting a houseplant swap, it’s always a good idea to start from a place of generosity. Instead of just asking for free houseplants, simply list some plantlets that you have available and list some that you would like to swap for.
Yes, you might get some people who just ask for your plants without offering anything in return. But as always, erring on the side of generosity brings good karma.
5. Crowdsource free houseplants on community-oriented sites
Freecycle and Buy Nothing Groups are two of the largest community-driven sites where people offer things for free.
You can find local Buy Nothing Groups on their official website directory, but some groups may be operated on Facebook.
And here’s how to find a Freecycle group near you.
The etiquette on these kinds of sharing groups is to wait and see what others are offering. So it’s a bit more passive, and you often won‘t be able to make a request in these groups. As always, err on the side of good manners.
I bet you’re starting to notice a theme in my “erring advice,” right? Overall, be a nice human being.
6. Check the clearance section of your local farm store or nursery for cheap plants
Surely, I’m not the only one who feels like they have won the jackpot when I see the a FREE or 50% Off or 99c sign propped up against a houseplant, right?
I once walked past a plant store in my city that had a shelf full of 50% off houseplants with a sign that read: “only for green thumbs.” I really appreciated their honest disclaimer as discounted plants are usually discounted for a reason. Clearance houseplants are often not in the best shape, so they need extra care and patience. And they also need plant owners who won’t get too attached to the outcome.
But only when you do manage to bring that half-dead plant to life will you savor the sweet sweet taste of houseplant wizardry.
To this day, one of my favorite vacation memories was finding a whole rack full of free geraniums outside a farm store somewhere in Lake Erie wine-country.
Naturally, we stopped and bought something from the farm store too. (I was initially driven by common courtesy, but once I stepped inside, some more powerful motivators took over, in the form of delicious homemade preserves, apple butters and natural syrups.)
We left the store with a basket full of local farm products and three free oversized geraniums that looked worse for wear. But with a bit of pruning and a bit of love, we managed to bring them back to life and they lived in our apartment for two years. They might even be alive with the person who adopted them from us.
And this is how we’ve come full circle with the free houseplants advice. Always give some in return.
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Photo by Angele Kamp
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