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Lifestyle: Which Houseplant Should You Give as a Gift This Christmas?
Indoor plants make beautiful presents. Here’s how to pick perfect blooms or foliage for everyone from your mother to your lover
As Christmas fast approaches, we all start thinking about what kind of gifts to buy for our loved ones. And what better pressie to give than a good-looking houseplant? But where do you start when it’s time to choose the right plant for the right recipient? And if you’re lucky enough to receive a potted plant as a gift, how do you make sure your present isn’t short-lived?
Browse this selection of gorgeous houseplants that make wonderful gifts, along with tips on how best to care for each one long after the tinsel has been taken down.
Browse this selection of gorgeous houseplants that make wonderful gifts, along with tips on how best to care for each one long after the tinsel has been taken down.
For the elegant in-law
At this time of year, many of us are likely to give or receive an orchid. The two most popular varieties are cymbidium, which has tall spikes loaded with colourful flowers and thin strappy leaves, and phalaenopsis (moth orchid), which can handle warmer temperatures and needs less attention, as it stores water in its larger fleshy leaves. Both of these delicate, exotic blooms will help to dispel the winter blues.
These plants are either epiphytes (air plants) or lithophytes (grow on rocks), so their natural habitat means they get their nutrients from rain falling on leaves and plant debris. Cymbidiums are best grown on pebble trays and misted to keep humidity levels up. Do not put orchids in windows, near draughts or above radiators. To water your orchid, it’s best to let the plant drink from standing it in a bowl and let it take what it needs; allow the plant to drain thoroughly and don’t overwater, as the roots will rot easily. Phalaenopsis can be watered less often – every 10 days or so – and can handle slightly warmer temperatures.
At this time of year, many of us are likely to give or receive an orchid. The two most popular varieties are cymbidium, which has tall spikes loaded with colourful flowers and thin strappy leaves, and phalaenopsis (moth orchid), which can handle warmer temperatures and needs less attention, as it stores water in its larger fleshy leaves. Both of these delicate, exotic blooms will help to dispel the winter blues.
These plants are either epiphytes (air plants) or lithophytes (grow on rocks), so their natural habitat means they get their nutrients from rain falling on leaves and plant debris. Cymbidiums are best grown on pebble trays and misted to keep humidity levels up. Do not put orchids in windows, near draughts or above radiators. To water your orchid, it’s best to let the plant drink from standing it in a bowl and let it take what it needs; allow the plant to drain thoroughly and don’t overwater, as the roots will rot easily. Phalaenopsis can be watered less often – every 10 days or so – and can handle slightly warmer temperatures.
For the fragrance junkie
Paperwhite narcissus are one of my favourite bulbs. Their intoxicating scent fills a room and they make a wonderfully simple display for a dining table. Enhance the purity of their look by adding moss around the base of the stems, while small silver birch or hazel twigs would add a pleasing rustic feel to the arrangement.
You can easily make your own display by potting up some bulbs to give to friends and family. And if you haven’t planted any for indoors already, you can buy them now as emerging bulbs in time to create your own Christmas centrepiece. Try adding tall white tapered candles for a little extra festive magic.
Paperwhite narcissus are one of my favourite bulbs. Their intoxicating scent fills a room and they make a wonderfully simple display for a dining table. Enhance the purity of their look by adding moss around the base of the stems, while small silver birch or hazel twigs would add a pleasing rustic feel to the arrangement.
You can easily make your own display by potting up some bulbs to give to friends and family. And if you haven’t planted any for indoors already, you can buy them now as emerging bulbs in time to create your own Christmas centrepiece. Try adding tall white tapered candles for a little extra festive magic.
For the women in your life
The azalea (Rhododendron simsii) is the Chinese symbol for femininity, making this beautiful plant perfect as a gift for mothers, aunties and sisters.
The azalea may be a spring-flowering plant, but it’s often forced into flowering in time for Christmas, and there are so many pretty shades to choose from. Vibrant pink, crimson, red, white and peach-coloured blooms are borne on thin, woody stems surrounded by dark green oval leaves.
As these are acid soil-loving plants, they need to be grown in ericaceous compost. Once they have finished flowering indoors, they could be planted outside in the garden and, in the right conditions, they often grow on into large shrubs.
For healthy indoor azaleas, keep the compost in the pot moist, but don’t overwater it, and try to maintain humidity in the room. If possible, use rainwater or distilled water rather than hard water from the tap and try to avoid it drying out completely: the flowers will wilt and the leaves will shrivel – not a good look! These plants are quite happy on a sunny windowsill as long as it’s cool and not above a hot radiator. Keep removing dead blooms to prolong the flowering season.
Gardenias, another popular Christmas gift plant, are also grown in ericaceous compost. Place them on a tray of gravel with water just below the top of the stones, mist regularly and position them where they will receive as much light as possible with a minimum temperature of 16C.
The azalea (Rhododendron simsii) is the Chinese symbol for femininity, making this beautiful plant perfect as a gift for mothers, aunties and sisters.
The azalea may be a spring-flowering plant, but it’s often forced into flowering in time for Christmas, and there are so many pretty shades to choose from. Vibrant pink, crimson, red, white and peach-coloured blooms are borne on thin, woody stems surrounded by dark green oval leaves.
As these are acid soil-loving plants, they need to be grown in ericaceous compost. Once they have finished flowering indoors, they could be planted outside in the garden and, in the right conditions, they often grow on into large shrubs.
For healthy indoor azaleas, keep the compost in the pot moist, but don’t overwater it, and try to maintain humidity in the room. If possible, use rainwater or distilled water rather than hard water from the tap and try to avoid it drying out completely: the flowers will wilt and the leaves will shrivel – not a good look! These plants are quite happy on a sunny windowsill as long as it’s cool and not above a hot radiator. Keep removing dead blooms to prolong the flowering season.
Gardenias, another popular Christmas gift plant, are also grown in ericaceous compost. Place them on a tray of gravel with water just below the top of the stones, mist regularly and position them where they will receive as much light as possible with a minimum temperature of 16C.
For the lover of modern-rustic
No home should be without the heady scent of hyacinth bulbs this month. The shops will be full of planted-up pots or baskets filled with blue, pink or white fragrant blooms, like the ones in this kitchen.
For an alternative arrangement, you can also buy them in glass jars with the root and bulb on display. Try lining up jars containing a single bulb in a row down the centre of your table (go for three or five; uneven numbers always look good).
If you want to DIY rather than buy, make sure you choose a bulb vase that’s a bit bigger than the bulb, so it sits well. Fill the vase with water to its neck and place the bulb in the top. The water level needs to be just below the bottom of the bulb. Rather than buying special vases, you could also use jam jars with narrow necks. Decorate with a hessian bow or tie some raffia around the top for a rustic feel.
Get more inspiration for ways to add houseplants to your home
No home should be without the heady scent of hyacinth bulbs this month. The shops will be full of planted-up pots or baskets filled with blue, pink or white fragrant blooms, like the ones in this kitchen.
For an alternative arrangement, you can also buy them in glass jars with the root and bulb on display. Try lining up jars containing a single bulb in a row down the centre of your table (go for three or five; uneven numbers always look good).
If you want to DIY rather than buy, make sure you choose a bulb vase that’s a bit bigger than the bulb, so it sits well. Fill the vase with water to its neck and place the bulb in the top. The water level needs to be just below the bottom of the bulb. Rather than buying special vases, you could also use jam jars with narrow necks. Decorate with a hessian bow or tie some raffia around the top for a rustic feel.
Get more inspiration for ways to add houseplants to your home
For the minimalist
Tillandsias, often referred to as air plants, come in all shapes and sizes. As their name suggests, these plants grow without soil and need constant air circulation. They do have roots, but these function as anchors, because in the wild in the Caribbean and South America, they grow on rock faces or trees. They are good plants to give as a gift to those who love a pared-back mood, as they have an architectural feel and can look great hanging in glass containers, as seen here.
They do need watering but, depending on how humid your house is, this can be done every five days in a warm home and about every 10 days in cooler situations. Between watering, mist the plant from a spray bottle to keep moisture levels up. They also need light, so don’t keep them in a dark room, although they’ll also be fine under a fluorescent light.
Tillandsias, often referred to as air plants, come in all shapes and sizes. As their name suggests, these plants grow without soil and need constant air circulation. They do have roots, but these function as anchors, because in the wild in the Caribbean and South America, they grow on rock faces or trees. They are good plants to give as a gift to those who love a pared-back mood, as they have an architectural feel and can look great hanging in glass containers, as seen here.
They do need watering but, depending on how humid your house is, this can be done every five days in a warm home and about every 10 days in cooler situations. Between watering, mist the plant from a spray bottle to keep moisture levels up. They also need light, so don’t keep them in a dark room, although they’ll also be fine under a fluorescent light.
For the last-minute gift
A single stem of pine (or Christmas tree) may not be a pot plant as such, but it’s a great alternative that can look really festive. If you have a real Christmas tree and need to trim it, make use of some of the spindly branches you cut off by planting them in a lovely old jar or two to make a cute display.
Group a collection of old containers and pots planted up with this simple greenery in a corner, on a table top or in your hallway for a calming and beautifully scented display. Use a little moss to cover the top of the soil or simply leave with the compost showing. Try to remove the lower sprigs to show a bit of stem and alter the heights of your specimens for extra impact.
Why not try this idea with sprigs of holly, too?
A single stem of pine (or Christmas tree) may not be a pot plant as such, but it’s a great alternative that can look really festive. If you have a real Christmas tree and need to trim it, make use of some of the spindly branches you cut off by planting them in a lovely old jar or two to make a cute display.
Group a collection of old containers and pots planted up with this simple greenery in a corner, on a table top or in your hallway for a calming and beautifully scented display. Use a little moss to cover the top of the soil or simply leave with the compost showing. Try to remove the lower sprigs to show a bit of stem and alter the heights of your specimens for extra impact.
Why not try this idea with sprigs of holly, too?
For the gin and tonic lover
A small citrus tree is a lovely gift to give or receive. Many people assume they can only be grown outside in Italy, Greece or Spain, but in fact, with the right care and attention, they can thrive here in the UK. And they’re perfect for the person who’d appreciate always having a fresh lemon on hand for a gin and tonic!
Fruit on citrus trees takes up to six months to grow to full size, so don’t be tempted to yank emerging lemons off too quickly. They have heavenly smelling white flowers, but only 1% of these will produce fruit. The plants need good light and smaller ones will be happy on a windowsill. Larger specimens do better in a conservatory, but make sure they don’t get scorched by the sun in the summer. Then water sparingly throughout the winter, as dryness and poor light will lead to leaf drop. Above all, don’t put your lemon tree in a dark corner.
When the summer comes, it will be quite happy outdoors in good sunlight after the danger of frost has passed.
Citrus trees will have been potted in an ericaceous compost with a little grit for drainage and should only require a citrus feed or tomato fertiliser during the growing season. If you find your tree invaded by red spider mites, woolly aphids or scale insects, treat these with insecticide.
A small citrus tree is a lovely gift to give or receive. Many people assume they can only be grown outside in Italy, Greece or Spain, but in fact, with the right care and attention, they can thrive here in the UK. And they’re perfect for the person who’d appreciate always having a fresh lemon on hand for a gin and tonic!
Fruit on citrus trees takes up to six months to grow to full size, so don’t be tempted to yank emerging lemons off too quickly. They have heavenly smelling white flowers, but only 1% of these will produce fruit. The plants need good light and smaller ones will be happy on a windowsill. Larger specimens do better in a conservatory, but make sure they don’t get scorched by the sun in the summer. Then water sparingly throughout the winter, as dryness and poor light will lead to leaf drop. Above all, don’t put your lemon tree in a dark corner.
When the summer comes, it will be quite happy outdoors in good sunlight after the danger of frost has passed.
Citrus trees will have been potted in an ericaceous compost with a little grit for drainage and should only require a citrus feed or tomato fertiliser during the growing season. If you find your tree invaded by red spider mites, woolly aphids or scale insects, treat these with insecticide.
For those who love bold blooms
The indoor lily, or amaryllis (Hippeastrum), is a popular bulb that’s often given at this time of year. With its long stem and huge, lily-like blooms, it has the wow factor and is certainly giving the poinsettia a run for its money as the Christmas plant gift of choice.
Red blooms are very popular, but there are so many other wonderful colours to choose from. ‘Santiago’, for example, looks like striped pink candy, and ‘Green Emerald’ has green petals tinged with pink.
If you’ve been given one as a gift, place it in a cool room with lots of natural light and keep the plant barely moist. Be careful when watering not to soak the top of the bulb, which you will see sitting just above the compost.
Don’t think that once the blooms have faded you need to dispose of this wonderful bulb – the flowers get better and bigger with time. To promote fresh flowering, remove the stem close to the neck of the bulb once the blooms have faded. Keep it watered and fed every week or two with a liquid all-purpose feed and place it in the sunniest spot in the house. You can put it outside in the summer, too, to allow the sun to fatten up the bulb.
Bring it back indoors before the frosts come and let it ‘rest’ by stopping watering and feeding for 8-10 weeks so it can get ready to flower in time for Christmas again. Cut any yellow leaves off and keep in a room that is about 12-15C.
The indoor lily, or amaryllis (Hippeastrum), is a popular bulb that’s often given at this time of year. With its long stem and huge, lily-like blooms, it has the wow factor and is certainly giving the poinsettia a run for its money as the Christmas plant gift of choice.
Red blooms are very popular, but there are so many other wonderful colours to choose from. ‘Santiago’, for example, looks like striped pink candy, and ‘Green Emerald’ has green petals tinged with pink.
If you’ve been given one as a gift, place it in a cool room with lots of natural light and keep the plant barely moist. Be careful when watering not to soak the top of the bulb, which you will see sitting just above the compost.
Don’t think that once the blooms have faded you need to dispose of this wonderful bulb – the flowers get better and bigger with time. To promote fresh flowering, remove the stem close to the neck of the bulb once the blooms have faded. Keep it watered and fed every week or two with a liquid all-purpose feed and place it in the sunniest spot in the house. You can put it outside in the summer, too, to allow the sun to fatten up the bulb.
Bring it back indoors before the frosts come and let it ‘rest’ by stopping watering and feeding for 8-10 weeks so it can get ready to flower in time for Christmas again. Cut any yellow leaves off and keep in a room that is about 12-15C.
For the gardener
Hellebores are know as the Christmas rose and they flower outdoors from January until April, lifting the winter gloom and nodding their dainty pastel or deep-crimson speckled heads. And they make a wonderful indoor display at this time of the year, too.
Many garden centres will have hellebores for sale now. This variety, Hellebore ‘Niger’*, with its striking white blooms with rigid green leaves, was on display at a Daylesford Organic Farm Shop. To create an indoor arrangement like this one, choose a large, shallow bowl and fill it with compost with some drainage at the bottom. Plant the flowers in uneven fives, sevens or nines for greater impact and cover the soil with a layer of moss. You could even add some small hazel or silver birch twigs for a lovely wintry effect.
Come spring, they’ll thrive planted outdoors. Choose a part-shaded site and, as their natural habit is for the flower heads to hang down, try positioning them in a raised bed so you can enjoy their lovely blooms. Hellebores will double in the right conditions in no time, producing small plants that you can either remove and repot or allow to naturalise in situ.
*Please note that hellebores, especially ‘Niger’, can be a skin irritant, so keep them away from small children and pets. Ideally, wear gloves when handling the plants.
Explore this pretty, pocket-sized garden in Sussex
TELL US…
What’s your favourite houseplant – with or without flowers – to give or receive as a gift? Share your tips in the Comments below.
Hellebores are know as the Christmas rose and they flower outdoors from January until April, lifting the winter gloom and nodding their dainty pastel or deep-crimson speckled heads. And they make a wonderful indoor display at this time of the year, too.
Many garden centres will have hellebores for sale now. This variety, Hellebore ‘Niger’*, with its striking white blooms with rigid green leaves, was on display at a Daylesford Organic Farm Shop. To create an indoor arrangement like this one, choose a large, shallow bowl and fill it with compost with some drainage at the bottom. Plant the flowers in uneven fives, sevens or nines for greater impact and cover the soil with a layer of moss. You could even add some small hazel or silver birch twigs for a lovely wintry effect.
Come spring, they’ll thrive planted outdoors. Choose a part-shaded site and, as their natural habit is for the flower heads to hang down, try positioning them in a raised bed so you can enjoy their lovely blooms. Hellebores will double in the right conditions in no time, producing small plants that you can either remove and repot or allow to naturalise in situ.
*Please note that hellebores, especially ‘Niger’, can be a skin irritant, so keep them away from small children and pets. Ideally, wear gloves when handling the plants.
Explore this pretty, pocket-sized garden in Sussex
TELL US…
What’s your favourite houseplant – with or without flowers – to give or receive as a gift? Share your tips in the Comments below.
Nothing quite says Christmas houseplant like a poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima). These plants have a reputation for being hard to maintain, and many are kept as you would a bunch of flowers and thrown away when they no longer look their best. However, with a little care and attention, you can prolong their beauty.
Poinsettias need bright filtered light and should not be kept in temperatures below 12-15C. And if you are giving one as a gift, make sure you cover the delicate bracts with paper or a bag as they will go into shock when taken outside into a cold temperature. Overwatering will easily kill a poinsettia, so water sparingly and only when the top of the compost is dry. And make sure you mist regularly. Feed monthly and use a low-nitrogen, high-potassium fertiliser.
There are some lovely alternatives to the traditional red or white. For dusky pink and variegated leaves, try ‘Silver Star’; for yellow bracts try ‘Lemon Snow’. And it may be a bit harder to find, but it’s worth looking out for the fabulous deep-burgundy poinsettia ‘Cortez Burgundy’.