While this isn’t your standard holiday gift guide, I still wanted to post something slightly meaningful(ish) for my fellow houseplant hoarders. Etsy’s got a Holiday Hub live, which is pretty useful, but you’re here for plants (and so am I), so let’s get botanical and talk about a few favorites I’ve got that can make excellent gifts.
The houseplant for someone who knows nothing about plants
Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior)
I was going to recommend a Snake Plant here but decided against that for one simple reason: it doesn’t need a lot of water. Let me explain.
Yes, snake plants are hardy and good for beginners. But they do well with neglectful plant parents because they store water in their root bulb and more than happily tolerate missing a few waterings. However, new plant parents who really want to give it a go will often find out that their enthusiasm for caring for the snake plant results in overwatering it, creating mushy leaves and a soon-to-be-dead plant all too quickly.
The Cast Iron Plant, on the other hand, has taken neglect and helicopter parenting with the same “meh”-ness across the board. Named for its ability to be a tough mama jama, the Cast Iron plant will take even the newest of new plant parent’s under or over-enthusiasm with grace.
The houseplant for someone who works in an office
Peperomia Obtusifolia
Most people will usually recommend a spider plant as a great office houseplant but I’ve rarely had luck keeping them alive. I figure it’s probably due to my ADHD creating a cycle of helicopter parenting > forget it exists > panic > helicopter parent.
For me, though, I don’t think you can ever go wrong with a Peperomia Obtusifolia, also known as a Radiator Plant. It’s got super thick, chonky stems and leaves that can hold water like a succulent. However, I want to make it clear: peperomias are NOT succulents and have different care requirements. Still, their hardy nature and ability to DIY (sorta) water regulation mean they can handle neglect from someone who’s only around during office hours.
It does prefer natural light to artificial, so if your giftee has an office with a window, even better. That said, it can do well under office fluorescent lights, too, if that’s all you’ve got. If that’s the situation, a little grow light on a plant stake might be a good supplemental gift, just to give it a boost of good, consistent light.
The houseplant for someone who’s never home
Janet Craig Dragon Plant (Dracaena fragrans ‘Compacta’)
I think my Dracaena Janet Craig has been one of the plants with me the longest. I originally got it in a “fairy terrarium” starter plant set (mentioned below) and am incredibly impressed at how well it’s handled my “learn the hard way” journey into horticulture and botany. The Janet Craig isn’t a “showy” plant — mine is a fairly dark green bush — but what it lacks in pizazz, it makes up for in tolerance for neglect.
PS – The seller I’ve linked to isn’t where I got my Janet Craig from, but I’ve bought other plants from them and can vouch for their awesomeness.
The houseplant for the rare plant nerd in your life
Spiritus Sancti Philodendron Tissue Culture (P. spiritus-sancti)
“Rare” plants go in and out of their, uh, rarity pretty much monthly, thanks to tissue culture and cloning, so selecting something for this category is a bit of a moving target. However, I chose the Spiritus Santci Philodendron for a particular reason – our impact on its ecosystem.
Spiritus Sancti Philodendrons are found in the wild parts of Espirito Sant, Brazil and some areas of Ecuador and Peru. Unfortunately, though, deforestation and poaching for the houseplant market have made it extremely rare in its natural habitat, to the point that it’s considered endangered.
If your giftee is a rare houseplant buff, they’ve undoubtedly heard about this plant, which can often go for up to $500 if it’s mature. Tissue cultures, though, are like an advanced level in the houseplant game because they require precise care in order to thrive but aren’t so difficult that someone with inattentive ADHD (ahem) can’t make it work. I’ve had about an 80% success rate growing plants from tissue cultures (damn you, Monstera Aurea), and can say it looks daunting, but is easier than you think. Here’s a video guide for how to grow tissue cultures.
They’re also derived from a mother plant so reduce the potential for poaching, leaving the wild versions alone so they can, hopefully, bring back their numbers.
While I personally don’t have a Spiritus Sancti Philo, I have purchased tissue cultures from the seller linked in the button above and I proudly report that most of my cultures have made it. Any that haven’t are due to my neglect, not their ability to thrive.
The houseplant for your goth friend
Llano Carti Road Syngonium (Syngonium erythrophyllum ‘Llano-carti road’)
My Llano Carti Road came as a last-minute buy when I was on the hunt for black goth plants, and I’m so glad to have found it. Llano Carti Road syngoniums are named after the place where they may have been originally found. They’ll start off with dark green leaves but once they’re happy, they’ll start sending out stems to look for places to grab onto and unfurl black leaves. My Llano Carti Road has been a really tolerant plant and is happiest when it’s living in my plant cabinet, collecting humidity and slowly making its way up and around the shelves.
The houseplant for your pink-obsessed friend
Neon Pink Robusta Syngonium (Syngonium podophyllum ‘Neon robusta’)
To be honest, this was neck and neck with the Tricolor Stromanthe, which has hot pink undersides to its white and green leaves. But I picked the Neon Pink Robusta Syngonium because of its uniformly blush-pink leaves and, in my experience, tolerance for neglect. There are pinker syngoniums, like the Pink Perfection, but I only have experience with the Neon Pink and can vouch for its easygoing nature.
The houseplant for someone dabbling in plants
Thai Constellation Monstera (Monstera deliciosa ‘Thai Constellation’)
The Thai Constellation monstera started out in the plant world with a bang. It became popular during pandemic lockdowns and was seriously sought after. I’m not sure if it was *the* first commercially-available variegated plant but it sure felt like it. Prices were absurd, reaching nearly into the thousands of dollars.
Now, it’s become much more widely available (and, consequently, cheaper) but still has an air of “whoa, that’s cool” to it. I think this is an excellent plant for someone who’s probably got a few plants in their home but hasn’t dipped their toes into the exotic realm just yet. It’s fancy enough to be interesting but not so rare that it can’t fit your holiday gift budget of $20 per person.
The set for someone who doesn’t know what houseplant to get
Fairy Terrarium Plant Set of 10
This was one of the first buys I made when I was getting into houseplants, and am so glad I did. It’s got a collection of fairly hardy plants that can handle a newbie’s learning curve and gives enough of a variety that it’ll kickstart their love of houseplants pretty easily.
One downside I should mention, though, is that the plants don’t come with labels, so it might be hard to figure out which witch is which. I’ve bought this set a few times, and here are a few that seem to be regular staples:
- Janet Craig Dracaena
- Dracaena Fragrans
- African Violet
- Parlor Palm
- Ponytail Palm
- Pink or White Nerve Plant
- Polka Dot Plant
- Dragon Tree