I spent Wednesday repotting and propagating plants. Sitting in the sun, scooping dirt over roots, I remembered where my plants came from. Glancing over the patio – I saw an African spear from Mama and miniature roses from Brandon.

Sweat rolled down my brow as I placed a spider plant from my cousin, Mechelle, in a fresh pot of soil. I wondered if most North Carolinians have a garden full of gifted plants.

I’m sure they do. It was common practice when I was growing up to share with family and friends. Mamaw and Aunt Pansy swapped flowers in early spring and shared vegetable harvests in the fall.

Others gifted Mamaw and Papaw plants too. There was a gorgeous rose bush on the creek bank from Aunt Janey, and in later years, a shade garden full of plants Daddy wildcrafted off the mountain. The result was a yard that felt like a living memory.

Our yard is like that. The daylilies, hostas, vinca, and irises were all gifted to us by loved ones. And our daffodils are transplants from old homesites.

Even the plants I purchased are sweet reminders of others. My entire front yard is basically a dedication to Mama. That’s where you’ll find gardenias, roses, and azaleas.

I planted camellias because they remind me of Grandpa. When I was little, you’d always find him in a chair parked in the shade in front of his camellia bush. I can’t pass one without thinking of him in his overalls, surrounded by the neighborhood cats he befriended.

Our neighbor planted Japanese maples in our yard when he rented our house years before we bought it. They’re the only trees we don’t plan on cutting down because they remind me of Canton in the fall.

Every year I collect some of the maple seeds and hand them out. I share plant babies in the spring when I propagate new house plants and herbs throughout the summer. It’s my little way of keeping the tradition of gifted plants alive.

Is your garden full of gifted plants too?