You have several good options for rehoming unwanted plants, from local swap groups and community gardens to schools, nursing homes, and seed libraries. The best fit depends on whether you’re giving away potted houseplants, outdoor perennials, or seeds you’ve collected from your garden.
Local Plant Swap Groups
Facebook plant swap groups are the most active online communities for giving away plants locally. Nearly every metro area and many smaller towns have at least one, and they’re free to join. Search “plant swap” or “plant rehoming” plus your city name on Facebook, and you’ll likely find a group where members post photos of plants they want to give away or trade. These groups also organize in-person swap events where you can bring several plants at once and walk away empty-handed (or with new ones, if you can’t resist).
Nextdoor and Buy Nothing groups on Facebook work the same way. Post a photo, list the plant type if you know it, and someone nearby will usually claim it within hours. Houseplants in particular move fast in these groups.
Community Gardens and School Programs
Community gardens often welcome donations of outdoor plants, seedlings, and gardening supplies. Many operate on tight budgets and rely on donated materials to fill their plots each season. Call or visit any community garden near you and ask what they need. Perennials, herb starts, and vegetable seedlings tend to be the most useful donations, especially in spring.
Elementary schools, after-school programs, and garden-based education nonprofits are another strong option. School garden coordinators are frequently looking for easy-to-grow plants that kids can tend, like tomato starts, sunflowers, or herbs. A quick email to a local school’s front office can connect you with the right person.
Seed Libraries and Seed Banks
If your unwanted plants have gone to seed, or you’ve been saving seeds, public seed libraries are a great donation destination. These are typically housed inside public libraries and allow community members to “check out” seeds for free. The Mass Aggie Seed Library at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, for example, accepts donations of open-pollinated seeds (no hybrids) and prefers organic seeds when possible. Patented seeds or varieties protected by plant variety laws are not accepted.
The process is simple: place each seed type into a labeled envelope, note the variety and any growing tips, and drop them off at the seed library cabinet. Many cities now have at least one seed library. Check your local public library’s website or call and ask. Organizations like Seed Savers Exchange also donate more than 50,000 seed packets to over 600 gardens worldwide each year through their Herman’s Garden program, so if you have heirloom varieties, reaching out to them is worthwhile.
Nursing Homes, Shelters, and Places of Worship
Nursing homes and assisted living facilities often appreciate potted houseplants for common areas and individual rooms. Plants improve air quality and give residents something to care for. Call ahead to ask whether they accept live plants, since some facilities have restrictions on soil or allergens.
Homeless shelters, women’s shelters, and houses of worship with community spaces may also take potted plants to brighten up their environments. These places rarely have a budget for décor, so a healthy potted plant is a genuinely useful gift. Just make sure the plant is in good condition and clearly labeled if it has any care requirements (like full sun or weekly watering).
Thrift Stores and Habitat ReStores
Most national thrift chains don’t accept live plants, but policies vary by location. Habitat for Humanity ReStores, for instance, primarily sell home improvement items like furniture, appliances, and building materials. Their standard donation categories don’t include plants, but each ReStore is independently operated, and many locations accept items outside their usual list. It’s worth calling your nearest ReStore to ask. The same applies to local thrift shops, which sometimes have garden sections during warmer months.
How to Prepare Plants for Donation
A little preparation makes your donation more useful and more likely to be accepted. Start by inspecting for pests. Check the undersides of leaves, the soil surface, and the base of stems for signs of mealybugs, spider mites, scale, or fungus gnats. No organization wants to introduce an infestation into their space.
Remove dead or yellowing leaves, trim leggy growth, and wipe dust off the foliage with a damp cloth. If the plant is rootbound or in a cracked pot, repot it into a clean container with fresh potting mix. Label each plant with its common name and basic care needs: light level, watering frequency, and whether it’s toxic to pets. This small step makes a big difference for the person receiving it, especially if they’re a beginner.
For outdoor plants and divisions, shake off excess soil, wrap the roots in damp newspaper or a plastic bag to keep them moist during transport, and label the variety along with its sun and spacing requirements.
Shipping Plants to Another State
If you’re mailing plants to a friend or organization in another state, be aware of federal and state quarantine rules. The USDA restricts or requires permits for interstate movement of certain plants, particularly those from areas under quarantine for invasive pests or diseases. Plants shipped from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to the mainland face the strictest restrictions, with most fresh plant material prohibited entirely.
Even within the continental U.S., mailing plants from a quarantined area can spread pests to new regions. Before shipping, check whether your state or the destination state has any active quarantines by visiting the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service website. For local donations within your own area, these rules generally don’t apply, but it’s still good practice to ensure your plants are healthy and pest-free before passing them along.