Why generosity is key to the survival of plants

Gardeners may be the only people who willingly share their most prized possessions. They don’t think twice about sharing a division, cutting or seed of their most beloved plants.

I’ve been the recipient of such generosity many times, but this year I’m especially thankful that a fellow gardener was willing to share a very special plant.

This weekend the double bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis ‘Multiplex) started blooming. Although it is only a few inches tall, this diminutive beauty is an eye-catcher.

‘Multiplex’ is a sterile variety, so while the native single-flowering variety tends to spread itself around the garden in clumps by reseeding, the double variety must be divided. Because of this, it’s difficult to find, although Plant Delights Nursery offered it via mail this year.

So it was a wonderful surprise when last year a friend who I’ve met in person just once but who I frequently correspond with sent me a division of ‘Multiplex’ from her Vermont garden. I quickly planted the handful of small leaves, roots and soil in a highly visible part of my garden.

It apparently managed the move well because it looks happy and, even though the small clump is just a fraction of the size of the single bloodroots nearby, it outshines them all.

Generosity might be the primary motivation for gardeners who share willingly from their own gardens, but there is a higher purpose, even if it is unbeknownst to them. Sharing plants helps ensure the plant’s survival. Plant breeders routinely share new varieties of plants with friends, not just to make sure they get a Christmas card every year, but also to help guarantee the variety will survive if something should happen to the mother plant.

 If you’ve ever grown the popular Benary Giant series of zinnias you have the generosity of fellow gardeners to thank for those beautiful blooms.

Benary, a family-owned seed company headquartered in Germany, was left in tatters at the end of World War II. Seven of nine Benary brothers had been killed and what was left of the family was forced to flee Soviet-occupied Germany, leaving behind everything they owned. With nothing but a bicycle and pure will, Fritz Benary rode through western Europe calling on the company’s customers, asking them to share the seeds they had bought from Benary.

And share they did. That rescue mission saved the company, which at 177 years old has introduced some of the most popular plants we grow today and is still family owned.

Fritz Benary’s quest might have been more impressive than my friend’s willingness to dig up a bit of ‘Multiplex’ and pack it in a box to send to me, but I’m as grateful for the generosity as Fritz probably was to his customers.