Plant donations

[Lscvista]

Is there a rule of thumb regarding how much plants are worth when donating them to non-profit organizations?  I’m unable to locate online how much my iris bulbs may be.

[DoninGA]

Contact a local nursery to see what the average sale price is per bulb.

[Bsch4477]

You can deduct the fair market value or what the charity would receive if they sold it. 

[Opus 17]

For tangible property not being used for a direct charitable purpose, the donation value is your cost basis; what you paid for bulbs, soil and pots.  If you don't know, make your best guess, and make a note for yourself what your source of information was.  (If these are divisions of plants from your own garden, the cost for the bulbs is probably zero, and you can only deduct the cost of the pots and planting mix.)  For personal property that will be used directly by the charity, the value is the fair market value; what you would pay for a similar item at a nursery or florist.

Essentially, that means that if the charity is selling them to raise funds, your donation value is your cost only.  But if you were donating them to (for example) a nursing home that was going to directly use them for live decorations, you can claim the fair market value.