A colorful bouquet is always a gorgeous gift to receive. However, while thoughtful, they’re relatively short-lived and brief. Instead of sending a bouquet of flowers to say thank you or send well wishes, consider a plant. Potted plants can decorate a room and live for many years, making the recipient smile and think of the kind gesture far beyond a week or two.
If you’d rather give a meaningful, long-lasting plant gift, Jackson & Perkins has you covered! From the Christmas holiday season to special birthday and anniversary celebrations, here are some of the best plants to give as gifts.
Succulents are so easy to maintain that many of these plant gifts come in miniature pots, wine corks or decorative hanging glass bubble terrariums and bowls. You can even present them with a succulent garden, complete with a succulent trio collection in various greens and patterns as well as colored moss. Shaped like a heart, the Hoya Heart succulent is a sweet gift to express your love and Haworthia succulents have a striped pattern that will appease those with modern tastes.
SHOP FOR SUCCULENT PLANT GIFTSAnother one of the best plants to give as gifts is a money tree. Money trees are intended to bring good luck and good financial success. However, they can also reduce stress and cleanse the air, too. Planted in a sand and peat-moss based soil mixture, the money tree prefers good drainage to avoid root rot and loves humidity, making it relatively easy to care for.
SHOP FOR HOUSE PLANT GIFTS
Gardenias symbolize peace and harmony and joy, which is what makes gardenias a great plant gift for a special someone. However, these hardy shrub plants work best presented in a container that arrives with only buds, protecting the blooms that open in a few short weeks. The fragrant white gardenia blooms are sure to delight and are so simple to care for. Even recipients with no gardening experience can appreciate them for many weeks. Just keep the gardenia watered and place it in indirect sunlight. Gardenias can be kept indoors or even transplanted into an outdoor container or garden.
SHOP FOR PLANT GIFTSAccording to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, ferns are seen as a token of good luck and symbol of eternal youth. In some cultures, ferns represent new beginnings, making them great for new homeowners and anyone young at heart. Since ferns grow in damp soil along streams and the like, they need moisture and even thrive wonderfully in bathrooms. Fortunately, some ferns are hardier than others. For instance, the bird’s nest fern is quite resilient and needs misting once a week or so and more in drier winter months. Ferns are one of the best plants to give as gifts to those who have pets. Many ferns are animal-friendly and non-toxic, which means keeping their furry family members safe, too.
Orchids have a reputation for being difficult to care for. However, this simply isn’t true. Many orchids have been bred to be hardy and easy to maintain plants that work wonderfully as a gift. These hardier bred orchids no longer need tropical temps to survive and require indirect sunlight, which means they would work quite nicely in someone’s home. They need only a half cup of water once per week at most, keeping their roots slightly moist. With annual blooms that last three months or longer, orchids are one of the best plants to give as gifts.
Christmas cacti make lovely festive gifts for the holidays. Blooming at or around Thanksgiving through the Christmas season, this annual plant offers bright pink buds that transform into red blooms, creating lovely Christmas colors.
Christmas cacti thrive best in front of a bright window but in a cool environment. As a cactus, these plants are easy to care for, requiring only a bit of water and a touch more just before it blooms. The best part about Christmas cacti is that they’re the holiday gift that keeps on giving, coming back year after year. With proper care, they can even bloom outside the usual Thanksgiving to Christmas time frame.
