Indoor Plants As Gifts

Buy an indoor plant to add greenery to a friend's home. Plant image by Platinum Pictures from Fotolia.com

If you have a friend who has moved into a new house recently, or who simply likes plants, give her an indoor plant as a gift. There are a variety of flowering and non-flowering plants that thrive indoors. Often these plants need to be placed by a sunny window and watered regularly. Dress up an indoor plant by wrapping a ribbon around the base of the pot. Also, provide a card with handwritten instructions on how to care for the plant.

African Violets

Purchase a potted arrangement of African violets. These flowers are a sensitive indoor plant, but they are beautiful and provide color to a home. "Originally from the forests of Tanzania, African violets grow naturally on the forest floor in deep shade, so their leaves are easily burnt by direct sun," according to the Daily Dispatch newspaper. The gift recipient should water the African violets every two or three days with lukewarm water and should not place them in direct sunlight. Water from the bottom up, as direct water on the leaves will burn them.

Chrysanthemums

Purchase a pot of brightly colored chrysanthemums. Chrysanthemums come in a range of hues, including orange, pink, red and yellow. The gift recipient will need to water them about every three days and apply a fertilizer to them to keep the blooms bright. They grow best in a place where they can get "a little morning sun," but not direct afternoon sunlight, according to the Daily Dispatch newspaper. Chrysanthemums, unlike potted tulips, can be transplanted in an outdoor garden with relative ease.

Cacti Garden

Buy several varieties of cacti in small and medium-sized pots to create a cacti garden for the gift recipient. Cacti are interesting and unique and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Buy a dozen 'hen-and-chicks' cacti, also known as Sempervivum, and place them in a "standard pie dish padded with spaghnum moss to create a graphic botanical dial," according to Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

References

• Daily Dispatch: Say 'I love you' with indoor plants
• Better Homes and Gardens: Terrarium Gardens