Are you searching for a holiday gift that is beautiful and useful, healthful and locally sourced? Look no further than your favorite garden shop
for a lovely houseplant that will offer months—if not years—of cheer.
To improve the chances for long-lasting enjoyment,
select plants that thrive on little care - here are some ideas!
For something super easy, consider a tillandsia or air plant, which requires no soil and only a weekly soaking. Grown for their unusual elongated foliage, air plants are stunning nested in a bowl, hung from a wire, or tucked inside a miniature terrarium. You can use nearly anything to hold a tillandsia – just do not display them in water.
Love the natural beauty of our local mountain landscape? Bring the
feel of the outdoors inside with a
dwarf evergreen such as a
lemon cypress (right) or a Norfolk Island pine.
Looking for a pop of color that isn't a red amaryllis? Cyclamen come
in a variety of vibrant colors and
have attractive variegated leaves. They do best in cooler spots with bright indirect light,
and, in the right conditions,
will bloom for
most of the winter.
Perfect to brighten a room!
Want to gift something that will improve indoor air quality? Try a pothos (right), peace lily, or English ivy. Many plants that purify the air are also easy to grow indoors. For a fragrant gift, chose a citrus in bloom. The scent of this plant will permeate a home and remind the recipient of you each time they come home to it.
Want an elegant offering? A showy lady slipper orchid produces a breath-taking blossom that can last weeks. To extend the show, choose a specimen that has a newly opening bud.
Once you have the perfect gift in hand, dress up your plant by dropping it into a unique trough, an aged moss-covered terra cotta container, or a simple wrap of burlap with a festive ribbon. Finish with a tuft of moss to cover the exposed soil.
A well-chosen plant at the holidays will endure through the bleakness of winter, providing a beautiful reminder of the lushness of warmer weather. And for the inexperienced gardener, it just might be an introduction to a lifetime of loving plants!
My favorite local garden shops?
Rose's Garden Shop
Thyme in the Garden
Flora
Reem's Creek Nursery
Gardener's Cottage
BB Barns
Thank you for supporting neighborhood businesses!
Happy holidays and best wishes for 2019!