Thank you for getting in touch with your question, which is actually one that we hear fairly frequently. What do you do with a well-cared-for plant when it has gotten too large for a home or can’t be accommodated in a new home? 

While NYBG does not accept plant donations, we know that gardeners in our area with particularly splendid and well-cared-for plants have had an enthusiastic response when offering them to local institutions. Locations such as hospitals, churches, synagogues, nursing homes, libraries and large apartment complexes rarely have the budgets to afford beautiful, specimen plants and may be very grateful to receive your clients’ plants. A donation of that sort means that your plant can be enjoyed and admired by many in environment that may not typically be able to afford such purchases. For best results, do send a photo along when offering the plants so the recipients can see the size and health of what you are offering.

For an even more personal donation, if you  are in an apartment building or part of a community group where you could post a notice, young tenants setting up home for the first time may also be delighted to have a plant to call their own and may do any heavy lifting required in return. Craigslist can have the same local reach if a community bulletin board is not convenient.

I hope that helps. Good luck!