Best houseplants to give as gifts

Houseplants bring a touch of drama and style to any home, transforming spaces with their natural charm while also offering proven benefits for health and wellbeing. What better way to show you care than with a gift that uplifts both the environment and the spirit?

Here are five top houseplants that make lovely, meaningful gifts for someone special.

Cape primrose (Streptocarpus)

Cape primroses produce flowers for months adding colour to the home over autumn and winter

The lovely Cape primrose (Streptocarpus) produces trumpet like flowers, which just keep coming. It’s easy to propagate, looks beautiful and has the wow factor. It needs 10–12 hours of light a day, so pop it in a bright spot.

String of hearts (Ceropegia linearis subsp. woodii)

String of hearts, with its speckled leaves, makes for a lovely addition to a living room or office

This succulent vine has lovely heart-shaped leaves and tubular flowers. String of hearts (Ceropegia linearis subsp. woodii) likes to be placed in a well-lit position as insufficient light will make the dark purple tinged leaves turn more green. Dangle off shelves and bookcases. If a bit falls off, pop in water and you may be able to produce more, which you can in turn then give to more friends.

Chinese money plant (Pilea peperomioides)

A Chinese money plant is the go-to houseplant and perfect for propagation

The pancake shaped leaves of the Chinese money plant (Pilea peperomioides) make it a decorative piece of art in your home. It has pink tinged stems and is so easy to propagate. It loves

The amount of water vapour in the atmosphere. Different plants require different levels of humidity. Houseplants that need high humidity are best grown in a steamy bathroom, misted regularly or the pot placed in a saucer of damp pebbles. In a greenhouse, humidity can be raised in hot weather by damping down (wetting) the floor, overhead watering or misting. However, high humidity can cause fungal problems, in which case open vents to improve ventilation.

Rabbit’s foot fern (Davallia solida var. fejeensis)

The rabbit’s foot fern takes it name from the fury rhizomes peaking out the bottom

Rabbit’s foot fern (Davallia solida var. fejeensis) has furry creeping rhizomes, so it looks great in a hanging basket or on a shelf where the

Rhizomes are creeping swollen root-like structures that are actually adapted stems. Roots, stems with leaves and flowers are produced along its length. See plants such as Anemone nemorosa, bamboo, canna, border iris.

The concentration of water vapour in the atmosphere. This affects the rate at which plants transpire (lose water from their leaf pores), which in turn affects how much water their roots absorb from the soil. If air humidity is low, plants transpire quickly and become at risk of wilting if water is lost from the leaves faster than it can be absorbed by the roots. Different plants require different levels of humidity to thrive. Many tropical houseplants need high humidity and are best grown in a steamy bathroom, misted regularly or placed on a saucer of damp pebbles. In a greenhouse, humidity can be raised in hot weather by damping down (wetting) the floor or overhead misting.

humidity

Scented-leaved pelargonium (Pelargonium ‘Attar of Roses’)

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Scented-leaved pelargoniums are the perfect gift and come in a vast array of scents

Scented-leaved pelargoniums are great plants and the ‘Attar of Roses’ variety has gorgeous rose-scented leaves that create an intoxicating scent in the winter months when you need it. It can be moved outside in summer and may encourage you to grow other scented pelargoniums, which have a variety of scents from sweet peppermint to apples. The leaves can be used in cooking, in jams, cocktails and compotes.

Deadheading is the process of removing spent flowers from plants to encourage more blooms and prevent seed production. This helps to redirect the plant's energy into producing more flowers rather than producing seeds.

These plants are a great starting point for gift ideas, but if you want to find plants for specific rooms, have a look at our guide for choosing the best houseplants.

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