10 Best Houseplants to Give as Gifts
Choosing the right gift for someone can be stressful and can take the fun out of gift giving, especially when you want the gift to have meaning and stand the test of time. However, a houseplant could be the perfect gift you're looking for. Houseplants last longer than flowers, they will continue to grow through any phase of life, and will reward you with beautiful new foliage, or even the occasional bloom (depending on the plant you buy). Plants are a great gift for the beginner plant collector, an established plant lover, or even someone who has no plants. And every day that plant is cared for will be a cherished memory of the person who gifted it.
We have specifically curated a list to choose the best plant for gift.
Snake Plant
The snake plant is, what I consider, a gate way plant into the plant world. Snake plants come in a variety of shapes and colors, are low maintenance and can tolerate heaps of different lighting conditions and are completely fine with missing a few waterings. The snake plant really is the perfect gift for first time plant owners or even for that person that may forget they have a plant.
Large Snake plant in white planter
Photo by Jake Goossen on Unsplash
Jade Plant
The Jade plant is a slow growing, succulent, almost tree-like plant. The jade plant requires minimal waterings, bright light, and with some pruning can take the form of a tree, or bush, with their thick, woody stem. This low maintenance succulent is said to represent growth, prosperity and renewal, making it the perfect housewarming gift. The jade plant is also drought tolerant, which is ideal for new plant lovers or someone who's more busy in life to keep up with a high maintenance plant.
ZZ Plant
ZZ plant is another very low maintenance plant that makes the best gift. ZZ plants have cute oval shaped leaves, on thick stalks that are attached to a thick, ball like rhizome. These rhizomes are part of the root system and can hold on to a lot of water, meaning, they require few waterings. ZZ plants also tolerate low light and low humidity, making it the ideal 'set it and forget it' type of houseplant. Perfect for a new office plant or to spruce up a corner that receives little light.
Bird's Nest Fern
Typically, Ferns don't do well for first time plant parents. However, the Bird's nest fern is a more hardy variety of fern that's more forgiving than the more popular, Boston fern. Bird's nest fern like to stay consistently moist and do well in more shady environments. They're ideal for intermediate plant owners or perhaps someone who would consider themselves a 'helicopter plant parent.' Bird's nest ferns have beautiful long, emerald green leaves that have a unique shape to them that helps them stick out amongst other plants.
A hand holding up an unpotted birds nest fern
Photo by feey on Unsplash
Pothos
Pothos make an all-around great gift for any plant lover, as they're low maintenance and there's huge variety of Pothos available in the market. Pothos can be bought as little babies, or big mamas, in an array of different colors ranging from white to yellow to all green. Pothos are a type of vining plant that looks great trailing up a wall to create that indoor jungle, they can be left to hang or even climbing up a trellis. Pothos are also great for first time plant parents as they give noticeable cues when they're thirsty and are fun and easy to propagate and experiment.
If you want tips on how to propagate plants, click here or want to learn more about Pothos varieties click here.
Swiss cheese plant
Swiss cheese plant, or Monstera deliciosa, is a must have, classic plant, every plant parent needs in their collection. The Monstera plant, has thick, green, fleshy leaves with slits and holes in the foliage, hence the common name "Swiss cheese plant." When given the right amount of care and a proper climbing support, the Monstera plant can grow massive and take up a lot of space. It's a great plant and makes the perfect statement piece.
Monstera deliciosa on Zella cedar
plank trellis from Treleaf
Christmas cactus
The Christmas cactus is a jungle cactus that makes a fabulous and fun gift. With the right care, this plant will bloom into a beautiful flower that can range in colors from pink, orange and white. To see these blooms on the trailing leaves of the Christmas cactus is a real treat.
Close up of a Christmas Cactus bloom
Photo by Catarina Monteiro on Unsplash
The Christmas cactus is a fairly low maintenance plant that prefers bright light and can tolerate one to two missed waterings. Pair this plant in a hanging macrame and watch the beautiful vines drape down.
Pet safe houseplants that make the best gifts
Fur babies are something to consider when gifting a plant because many classic and common houseplants are extremely toxic to pets. If the person you're gifting is a pet owner, consider some plants from this selection.
Want to know more about living with plants and pets? Hear from these pet owners from the Treleaf team here.
Orchids
Despite their poor reputation, the common, every day Orchids, you can find at any big box store, are a fairly easy plant to keep and a great way to teach anyone more about plants. The secret to getting an Orchid to thrive is to get the environment right. They like a little bit of humidity but also want to stay on the moist side, try not to let the Orchid get completely dry. Soon, you'll notice an abundance of new growth. To get your Orchid to rebloom, may be a bit of a challenge, but and overall great horticultural experience. Try to introduce the orchid to less light and see if the shock will get it to rebloom.
Blooming orchid in white planter
Photo by Dim Hou on Unsplash
Pilea peperomioides or more commonly known as the Chinese money plant is a whimsical plant that keeps on giving. This plant has cute little circular, dimpled leaves that grow along a thick, woody stem. The best part about this plant is once it matures, it will start producing mass amounts of babies along the stems and will even send out pups amongst the soil. The Chinese Money Plant isn't a particularly fussy plant but doesn't want to completely dry and does like a bit of humidity. This is also a fun and easy plant to experiment and propagate with since they can propagate from a simple stem cutting without having to worry about nodes.
Chinese money plant on a plant shelf
Photo by Elly Endeavours on Unsplash
Prayer plant
The Prayer plant is a great plant for a close loved one, as its said to represent gratitude. This plant is known for its striking foliage that move through out the day. In the daytime, the leaves will lay flat and at night they close up, giving them the name "Prayer plant." This plant likes consistent humidity and consistent watering, but with the right care, will trail down beautifully and make a wonderful, ever lasting gift.
Hands holding up a prayer plant in white planter
Photo by feey on Unsplash
More plant related blogs:
How to use growlights for indoor plants
How to clean dusty houseplant leaves
Treleaf trellis gift guide 2023