When I was a child, my grandmother’s living room was always filled with lush, round-leafed Chinese money plants. She called them her “friendship plants,” and every spring, she’d share little pots with neighbors and family. Now, decades later, I find myself drawn back to those gentle memories, especially as I try to pass on the same traditions to my own grandchildren. But times have changed. Back then, Grandma would just dig up a baby offshoot and plop it in a jar by the window. Today, my gardening group debates the best way to propagate pilea—should we stick to the old ways, or trust new techniques like rooting hormones and fancy grow lights? Some of my friends swear by the tried-and-true method: look for a pink-stemmed offshoot in spring, gently separate it from the mother plant, and nestle it into well-draining soil. Others argue that using leaf or stem cuttings in water is more reliable, especially in our unpredictable North American climate, where winters are harsh and summers can scorch even the hardiest houseplants. I’ve tried both. Sometimes, the offshoots thrive, just like Grandma promised. Other times, a leaf cutting in a glass of water will surprise me with roots after a few weeks. But not every attempt is a success—once, I lost a whole batch to root rot because my pot didn’t drain well enough. That’s a lesson I won’t forget, especially since our local gardening club is strict about soil mixes and community rules on plant sharing. It’s funny how something as simple as propagating a houseplant can stir up so much debate. Some neighbors worry about aesthetics and keeping everything uniform, while others—like me—believe in the freedom to fill our homes with as much green as we like. As the seasons shift and we face more extreme weather, I find comfort in these small acts of renewal. Whether you’re a traditionalist or an experimenter, maybe the real magic is in the stories we share and the memories we grow, one little pilea at a time. #gardeningmemories #pileaplant #houseplantdebate #Gardening