You probably use the word heirloom when talking about great-grandma’s quilt or some other treasure passed down in your family from generation to generation. Plants are the same.
When you hear the word heirloom, think old, precious, rare.
An oft-heard story goes like this: “Great-grandma, Rita, grew these tomatoes in her garden all of her life. Her mother gave them to her and showed her how to grow them. They’ve been in the family for generations.”
Gnome's Heirloom Garden (Organic) 