Did you know that the fellowship of AA has it’s own plant?
If you are in recovery, you may have heard of, or seen a certain little green plant making its way around the rooms of your twelve step program. Maybe you have seen a little plant being given as a gift at a sobriety anniversary. Maybe your sponsor has one, or your sponsor's sponsor. Maybe you even have one, and have shared it with your sponsees.
.Do you have one yet?
.Do you have one yet?
The Bill W. Plant
Also known as Swedish Ivy, the Bill W. plant comes with a great story to share. That is what recovery is all about, one alcoholic sharing with another.
Bill W. passed away on January 24, 1971 in Miami, Florida. When his wife, Lois, returned to their home in New York, now known as Stepping Stones, she brought home the plant that had been in Bill's Florida hospital room.
Lois cared for the plant until the mid 1980's, when she passed it on to Harriet Sevarino, beloved cook and companion of Bill and Lois for 35 years. Harriet passed the plant on to Michael M., a member of AA from Atlanta, Georgia. Lois asked Michael to pass it on to members of AA in Bill's memory. Michael did just that, sharing cuttings and offshoots of this plant with AA members all around the world.
Lois cared for the plant until the mid 1980's, when she passed it on to Harriet Sevarino, beloved cook and companion of Bill and Lois for 35 years. Harriet passed the plant on to Michael M., a member of AA from Atlanta, Georgia. Lois asked Michael to pass it on to members of AA in Bill's memory. Michael did just that, sharing cuttings and offshoots of this plant with AA members all around the world.
e plant will thrive in a location that receives bright, indirect light all year long.
Read more at Gardening Know How: Swedish Ivy Care: How To Grow A Swedish Ivy Houseplant https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/swedish-ivy/swedish-ivy-care.htm
Read more at Gardening Know How: Swedish Ivy Care: How To Grow A Swedish Ivy Houseplant https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/swedish-ivy/swedish-ivy-care.htm
The plant will thrive in a location that receives bright, indirect light all year long.
Read more at Gardening Know How: Swedish Ivy Care: How To Grow A Swedish Ivy Houseplant https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/swedish-ivy/swedish-ivy-care.htm
Read more at Gardening Know How: Swedish Ivy Care: How To Grow A Swedish Ivy Houseplant https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/swedish-ivy/swedish-ivy-care.htm
The plant will thrive in a location that receives bright, indirect light all year long.
Read more at Gardening Know How: Swedish Ivy Care: How To Grow A Swedish Ivy Houseplant https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/swedish-ivy/swedish-ivy-care.htm
Read more at Gardening Know How: Swedish Ivy Care: How To Grow A Swedish Ivy Houseplant https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/swedish-ivy/swedish-ivy-care.htm
The plant will thrive in a location that receives bright, indirect light all year long.
Read more at Gardening Know How: Swedish Ivy Care: How To Grow A Swedish Ivy Houseplant https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/swedish-ivy/swedish-ivy-care.htm
Read more at Gardening Know How: Swedish Ivy Care: How To Grow A Swedish Ivy Houseplant https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/swedish-ivy/swedish-ivy-care.htm
The plant will thrive in a location that receives bright, indirect light all year long.
Read more at Gardening Know How: Swedish Ivy Care: How To Grow A Swedish Ivy Houseplant https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/swedish-ivy/swedish-ivy-care.htm
Read more at Gardening Know How: Swedish Ivy Care: How To Grow A Swedish Ivy Houseplant https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/swedish-ivy/swedish-ivy-care.htm
The plant will thrive in a location that receives bright, indirect light all year long.
Read more at Gardening Know How: Swedish Ivy Care: How To Grow A Swedish Ivy Houseplant https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/swedish-ivy/swedish-ivy-care.htm
Read more at Gardening Know How: Swedish Ivy Care: How To Grow A Swedish Ivy Houseplant https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/swedish-ivy/swedish-ivy-care.htm
Water the ivy once a
week and be sure to allow the soil to dry out slightly between
waterings. Good drainage is necessary, so do not let the ivy sit in
water.
Read more at Gardening Know How: Swedish Ivy Care: How To Grow A Swedish Ivy Houseplant https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/swedish-ivy/swedish-ivy-care.htm
Read more at Gardening Know How: Swedish Ivy Care: How To Grow A Swedish Ivy Houseplant https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/swedish-ivy/swedish-ivy-care.htm
Water the ivy once a
week and be sure to allow the soil to dry out slightly between
waterings. Good drainage is necessary, so do not let the ivy sit in
water.
Read more at Gardening Know How: Swedish Ivy Care: How To Grow A Swedish Ivy Houseplant https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/swedish-ivy/swedish-ivy-care.htm
Read more at Gardening Know How: Swedish Ivy Care: How To Grow A Swedish Ivy Houseplant https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/swedish-ivy/swedish-ivy-care.htm
Water the ivy once a
week and be sure to allow the soil to dry out slightly between
waterings. Good drainage is necessary, so do not let the ivy sit in
water.
Read more at Gardening Know How: Swedish Ivy Care: How To Grow A Swedish Ivy Houseplant https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/swedish-ivy/swedish-ivy-care.htm
This is a true A. A. plant because every time you pass it on,2 new shoots replace the one that was given away and your plantRead more at Gardening Know How: Swedish Ivy Care: How To Grow A Swedish Ivy Houseplant https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/swedish-ivy/swedish-ivy-care.htm
grows stronger. Easy to care for, loves sun and likes to completely
dry between waterings, place cuttings in water to root and then
plant.
" This plant is also sometimes called a "Creeping Charlie"
plant, and it's rumored that Ebby Thatcher brought it originally to
Bill W. when he was in the townes hospital where he had his
original spiritual conversion. Bill supposedly gave it this name
after a friend of his named Charlie that kept creeping up on Bill's
back porch to sleep.
SOOOOO COOL
ReplyDeleteI have one and I've shared a cutting with every sponsee I bring through the steps!!!
ReplyDeleteWould you ship to the UK please
DeleteDid you ever receive the Pass along plant? I have some and will be happy to pass it along!
DeleteI just received one from my sponsor!!! A.A. is such a gift.... this plant represents so much love!!!
ReplyDeleteI’m trying to find a clipping for my husband who just hit a year. It’s hard in alaska to find !!
ReplyDeleteAn alcoholic staying sober is "hard", finding a plant is not.
DeleteI found it on esty.
DeleteI was given one of these plants yesterday. I'm now looking for the letter that is supposed to accompany this plant when I share it with others. Does anyone know where I can find this letter?
DeleteI think this is amazing!!! As a AA member and plant loverr, I cant believe I have never heard of this.
DeleteTu peux aller sur Google : Bill W.plant-passin’it on . Ça sort en anglais, regarde en haut à droite,c’est marqué translate choisis francais et voilà
DeleteI’m trying to find a clipping for my husband who just hit a year! Hard to do in Alaska, I have yet to find someone who has one.
ReplyDeleteI found it on esty.com
DeleteOur local Delegate gave me 12 clippings a few months ago.. I've already passed 8 plants on from them.
ReplyDeleteWould you ship to the UK please
DeleteYou can call Stepping Stones Foundation in the USA at 914-232-4822. The plant is still available at Stepping Stones where Bill and Lois lived in Bedford Hills, New York.
DeleteMay I get a clipping please? I would love to pass this along
DeleteI’ve got a plant and I’m in the uk.
DeleteI received one on my 7th anneversery. I gave about 6 clipping away over a few years. I went on a trip to Peru and when I came home, somehow my roommate had killed it. Then 3 years later my new sponsor gave me a clipping of hers! She was originally from Washington and received it from someone in her fellowship. (I'm a California native). Anywho, 6 months ago a good friend of mine that I had given an original clipping off my first plant to, brought me a clipping, it had a beautiful tiny flower on it! 😍 I was over the moon! I now have 4 pots with clippings from my OG plant and my newer plant and I still give them away every chance I get!
ReplyDeleteIt is so good to finally learn what the Bill W. plant is called. My stepdad gave me a clipping of his years ago when I got sober. I wrapped it up in a wet paper towel and it flew cross country with me to my home in Philadelphia. I have so many plants now - let me know if you can't find a clipping elsewhere! This plant is indestructible.
ReplyDeleteI killed mine.
ReplyDeleteI just got one. Indoor or outdoor?
ReplyDeleteEither, just don't leave it outside if a frost is expected.
DeleteThe more light it receives, the likelier it is to flower but they can thrive indoors and are low maintenance plants.
Indoors with mine
DeleteMy original ivy I received at my first AA roundup 10 days into sobriety. Now my plant has been sent 3 different ways and will continue to share its story ( 19 months sober and "growing" strong ).
ReplyDeleteIs there anyway to still get a clipping of this plant?!
DeleteMy husband was given clippings at a meeting. I can send you some if you don't mind paying shipping.
DeleteI was given one years ago. As a high school agriculture teacher with access to a classroom greenhouse, I used to propagate them from clippings. They are easy to grow! I would give them to speakers at our local AA group’s speaker discussion meetings. Unfortunately, I did not keep one when I moved out of state. I teach science and I’m active in another speaker discussion meeting. It would be nice to restart this tradition in my new locale. Could anyone send me a clipping? I just need about a 4-5 inch cutting. Reply here if you can oblige. I know that I could just buy an English ivy from a store, but I want one that has come from the original plant that the wife of Bill W. passed down.
ReplyDeleteYou may email me at this address. We can figure out how is a good way to send it to you. 🌱
DeleteJust seeing this. What address? My email is jcaudill322@gmail.com or you can find me as Jason David, a teacher in Louisville, KY on Facebook.
DeleteCaudill is a very good name and in Kentucky, very common ? My great aunt was a Caudill by marriage..a Stamper by birth…anyway wanted to say hi 👋
DeleteHi, I got my original plant in 2008. I still have it and have given away shoots many times over the years. It makes a great sobriety birthday gift 🎁
ReplyDeleteYeah I got one but dont know how to take cutting please let me know how to do it
DeleteOMG that is so cool. I would love to know how can i get one? My sobriety date is 09/19/2021 so i am new to A.A. and just learned about this heartfelt story. My email is angeli0680@outlook.com
DeletePerson with the swedish ivy from AA meetings: mlisjlarsen@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteJust received one from my sponsor.
ReplyDeleteIs Amazon the best place to purchase? I was told there's a *sprig' version that you plant. Tips, please
ReplyDeletethats where I got mine...but u can also get on Etsy
DeleteWow Etsy has everything
DeleteMy friend Karen A. just arrived at my door with a cutting. I celebrate 35 years tonight at my home group (actual b'day Oct 15) in Ottawa.
ReplyDeleteI received a cutting many years ago. I live in Miami where the plant originally started. I'm in Al-Anon and find the serenity and history of this plant gives me Hope and Faith my loved one will find Sobriety.
ReplyDeleteI was gifted a Bill plant starter-cutting (planted in a coffee mug) 11 yrs ago in Portland Maine, where I started my AA journey. I moved to Florida 4 years ago, taking my Bill plant (large hanging basket by now) along with me.
ReplyDeleteI have now started sharing the tradition with my fellowship here! It was very cool to actually find this article to certify authenticity!
I continue the tradition with gratitude ♡
Hi. I will celebrate 2 years on Tuesday March 15. I live in NJ.
DeleteWill you share some of your plant?
my husband was gifted one by his sponsor about 20 years ago. I've kept it alive and it's now in two pots. I thought I remembered a story behind it, and am happy to find this thread. He was sober for almost 18 years and recently has returned to the fellowship- 50 days now and working with a different sponsor. The local tradition seems to have gone by the wayside- maybe we can bring it back.
DeleteI've received one an grew 19 plants an counting given to AA members all over Oregon state
ReplyDeleteI just received a small one of these amazing plants from a friend in Oregon. Perhaps it's a descendant. We both have long term sobriety, yet this makes me feel reenergized and like a newcomer. I'm looking forward to passing cuttings on to share the spiritual goodness.
DeleteAnybody send to the UK please
ReplyDeleteYou can call Stepping Stones Foundation in the USA at 914-232-4822. The plant is still available at Stepping Stones where Bill and Lois lived in Bedford Hills, New York.
DeleteI’m in the uk and have the plant if anyone wants a cutting
DeleteHello, I've been looking for a clipping for a while. I would like to give it to my sponsor. He's a major part of me being sober and being the best version of myself I've ever been. Will pay shipping any anything else that's needed. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI was reading this to see how ,or if i could trim of the top . I am so glad i gut to read this . Maple
ReplyDeleteWe just got a clipping here in Denver, CO a few months ago. My boyfriend has a green thumb and now the plant has tripled in size so today we went out and bought a huge pot for it - bigger than a 5 gal bucket size gorgeous turquoise ceramic pot and we transplanted it into nourishing organic soil. This is our prayer for AA itself that we, the members of AA are able to take as good care of AA as we are of that plant - by giving it a huge container to grow in, with clean nourishing soil, that only has the "traditional" nutrients that feed it, clean mineralized water, that keeps out the weeds, so that it can flourish for generations to come.
ReplyDeleteI've heard there is a prayer that goes with this, does anyone know where I can find it?
ReplyDeleteI was just giving the plant water!
ReplyDeleteI have one original in The Netherlands, Amsterdam, but we lost the letter!
It would be so nice to have It while passing It on!
The man I got It from just recently passed away, sober! I am happy at least have this story I found here!
What a gift!
The ones you can buy from the internet aren’t the original plant…. They are just the same plant!
DeleteHow can I get a cutting of Bill's plant?
ReplyDeleteSend me ur info if u want some clippings feeneyashley417@gmail.com
DeleteI have one u can get a cutting off of but it's not ready yet
ReplyDeleteI just received a clipping in South Carolina, funny thing is the story somehow got twisted to it being Dr. Bob's plant from my counselor that gave it to me,but I seriously doubt that they both have Swedish Ivy being passed along. I did a little research to find d the origins. I would love to compare the plants DNA to see how much or little it's changed after so many generations of clipping l. Hypothetically it should be the same.
ReplyDeleteI got my plant when I spoke at a convention in Columbus, Mississippi 25 years ago. I've carried clipping to every International since and given them away. Also through my work have distributed it on 5 continents.
ReplyDeleteI am BLESSED.....TO HAVE THE PLANT PASSED ON TO ME.....I HAVE LEARNT MORE ABOUT MY FELLOWSHIP.....THANK YOU MY SRI LANKAN BROTHER MR.JEREMY D....for PASSING ON THE GOOD NEWS.....AND THE PLANT TO ME HERE IN INDIA. IT IS GROWING WELL.....GOD BLESS US ALL ALWAYS
ReplyDeleteIts FRANCISCO A.....GOA INDIA
ReplyDeleteI have 2 clippings, and they've been sitting in water for over a month and they haven't sprouted....they're still nice and green though! How can I get them to grow roots?
ReplyDeleteSo what home does the swedish ivy originate from? Anybody know? I believe it was in Ohio
ReplyDelete