Perennials, the gift you can keep giving

I've been reworking my gardens over the last few days, diving up and spreading around my perennial fruits and veggies. It's got me thinking just how grateful I am for these amazing plants. Most of them were given to me, and all of them I've given divisions of to other people.

When I look at my lovage, I think of the various local homesteaders I've given chunks of it to.

When I see my French sorrel, I think of how my sister-in-law got it from a friend, and gave a division of it to me, and I've given it to many others. I'll probably plant some at my kids' school, too!

When I see my mint, I remember how I'd bought that plant when I was a kid and my mom let my brother and I pick out plants. He picked out a cactus. I picked mint. I was like 6 years old. That mint is still growing, and I got a division of it a few years back and planted it in my garden and around my chicken coop to keep away mice. I gave a bunch of it to my students this year, too.

When I see my walking onions, I remember how they were given to me by a friend here on permies, who got them from another permie. I gave some to my mom, and they've taken over. She gave me a whole bunch of baby walking onions, and I'll be planting them at school and giving them to my students.

When I see my rhubarb, I remember how it came from my grandma's garden, and I gave divisions of it to my neighbors and other local homesteaders.

When I see my strawberries, I remember how we snagged some for free off the side of the road, and our neighbor gave us some, too.

When I see my raspberries, I think of how some came from my grandma's garden, and some I bought, and how I've given many to friends and neighbors.

When I see my elephant garlic, I remember how they came from my mom. She just gave me regular garlic, too.

When I see my Babington leeks, I remember how I got them from free from a local homesteader and have shared them with many friends.

I've also given away chives, thimbleberries, comfrey and more that I probably can't recall off the top of my head.

I love how I'm always able to share with others. I don't have much in life, but the perennials make me rich in plants. They've given me ways to help others, build friendships, grow community resilience, and continually have more food. I can give some away, and still have more that keep growing that I can spread around my property.

I love how these plants cost so much if you try to buy them, but they're free if you have community that has them. They don't take much work to keep alive, and they keep giving you bounty for you and those you gift them to.

They are truly the gift that keeps giving, and that you can keep giving!

Do any of you have special stories relating to perennial plants?

There's something nice about perennials having that history attached to them. My rhubarb came from a neighbour who was clearing out their allotment and every spring when it comes back I think of them. It's the one plant I'd never get rid of even if I redesigned the whole garden.

Many of my perennial vegetables came to me when I was writing my 'blog regularly - I found other people with similar interests and we exchanged messages and plants. I have three cornered leek and nodding onions, hosta, and some interesting Yacon and mashua varieties...
I like the saying 'if you want to keep a plant - give it away'. If your mother plant fails for some reason (exceptional drought/frost bugs) then if someone you know has one that you gave them, they may be very happy to give you a division back. Some plants haven't survived the lack of polytunnel over the last few years, so it is reassuring to think that some of the tubers I gave away may come back to me in time.

Nancy Reading wrote:Many of my perennial vegetables came to me when I was writing my 'blog regularly - I found other people with similar interests and we exchanged messages and plants. I have three cornered leek and nodding onions, hosta, and some interesting Yacon and mashua varieties...

I'd forgotten about my hostas! I got those from my mom once I realized I could eat them. The same with the grape hyacinths I just got from her :D.

I like the saying 'if you want to keep a plant - give it away'. If your mother plant fails for some reason (exceptional drought/frost bugs) then if someone you know has one that you gave them, they may be very happy to give you a division back. Some plants haven't survived the lack of polytunnel over the last few years, so it is reassuring to think that some of the tubers I gave away may come back to me in time.

So true! I've given away bits of my lovage multiple times, and I cut off a bit too much the last time and was worried it might not come back and I'd have to ask for a division from one of the people I'd given it to.

The walking onions I shared with my mom are doing way better at her house than mine, so she actually dug up a bunch of them (along with garlic and grape hyacinths) for me to give to my students.

I grew a potato variety from seed that is exceptionally well adapted here. Last year I almost lost them due to being sick and having other things on my mind as well as not many good potatoes surviving the winter. But I had given them to a friend, and while in the friend’s garden they grew bitter, they volunteered eagerly the next year, and so last fall I was given a whole bag of them.

They also came up mysteriously in a pot. How they got there, I do not know. They are a special potato, as I said.

Yes, if you want to keep them, share them! I have been asking around in case any other local people want the potato, but have found not very many takers so far. (None confirmed, actually.) Still looking.

It's as if the universe knew about this thread! I just picked up a grocery bag packed FULL of strawberries. There's more than enough for my students to each get a strawberry plant, and for my garden as well!

I also found out from my mom that the elephant garlic she gave me, had been given to her by her mother. Perennials carry such history and love.

Nicole Alderman wrote:The walking onions I shared with my mom are doing way better at her house than mine, so she actually dug up a bunch of them (along with garlic and grape hyacinths) for me to give to my students.

I didn't know grape hyacinth were edible - there's my new thing for the day! They have a tendency to be invasive in the UK, so there is the opportunity to turn a problem into a solution there.

Someone came in the Post Office this morning to post a parcel to her sister - Snowdrops. This is the best time of year to transplant them, whilst they are growing. Apparently her sister gave her the snowdrops years ago, but has now moved to somewhere where she doesn't have them, so she is now getting her own snowdrops back again!

Nancy Reading wrote:

Nicole Alderman wrote:The walking onions I shared with my mom are doing way better at her house than mine, so she actually dug up a bunch of them (along with garlic and grape hyacinths) for me to give to my students.

I didn't know grape hyacinth were edible - there's my new thing for the day! They have a tendency to be invasive in the UK, so there is the opportunity to turn a problem into a solution there. :D

Apparently, only the flowers are edible--the leaves and bulbs have too much saponins. I tried eating some at my mom's house, and they weren't too delicious. Apparently, the biggest draw to eating them is that you can use them to color jam, lemonade, etc. They have the same anthocyanins as purple cabbage, and they act as a PH indicator. Acidic mixtures will turn them pink, alkaline mixtures will turn them blue. I haven't played around with them yet, though!

Alan Bergo (Forager Chef) has an article on eating hyacinths.

https://foragerchef.com/lampascioni-cooking-and-eating-hyacinth-bulbs/

I’ve eaten wild hyacinth or Camassia quamash raw with no ill effects. They don’t grow wild here, but I’m hoping to spread them as much as possible. They are an important traditional food plant through much of North America.

A friend, at my request, gave me a blackberry plant a few years ago.

He just bought a house, so I showed up with raspberry plants, rhubarb, chives... And some of the same blackberries he gave me.  The raspberries were a gift from me to my mom, years ago, which have now migrated to my house, the rhubarb came from my grandmother's, and the chives I started from seeds a few years ago.

Perennials are pretty amazing.

Apparently this type is the edible grape hyacinth, but the bulbs still need to be boiled to remove the saponins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscari_comosum
Plants for a Future say it's cold hardy to zone 4, so maybe worth planting as a possible stealthy famine food?