10 Houseplants to Gift Your Lover on Valentine’s Day
Are you looking to go beyond red roses for Valentine’s Day? Show a little creativity by gifting your honey (and your friends) a houseplant instead!
From low-maintenance succulents to fabulous foliage, we’ve picked out 10 houseplants for those looking to avoid buying that last-minute bouquet of roses on their commute home.
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String of Hearts
One of the most popular houseplants of 2020 was the string of hearts, Ceropegia linearis subsp woodii, and enthusiasm for this pretty little trailing plant remains just as strong in 2021. That means they’re a little harder to find, but if you can find one (we recommend Etsy), it’s a thoughtful choice, sure to set your houseplant enthusiast’s heart racing way more reliably than a bunch of red roses. Despite the delicate appearance of its heart-shaped, silver-patterned leaves held on wire-thin stems, this is a tough plant that will persist in many spots in the home.
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Heart Ferns
This delicate fern is beloved by houseplant hobbyists for its perfectly heart-shaped leaves. With its glossy green, dark green fronds held aloft on thin black stems, the heart fern (Hemionitis arifolia) will make a striking addition to your house plant collection.
Heart ferns do well in terrariums, and do not tolerate dry soil. You can plant a heart fern in a fancy glass apothecary jar. As with all ferns, it’ll be happiest in a steamy bathroom.
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Anthuriums
If you want a bolder, showy choice, the Anthurium may be perfect for you. Also known as the flamingo plant, Anthuriums have glossy, green heart-shaped leaves topped by heart-shaped flowers in red, white, and pink. Anthuriums are the world’s longest blooming houseplant, which means that cheery, brilliant color will last in your home for months.
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Hoya Hearts
If you aren’t familiar with Hoya, they’re a cross between a plant and a succulent. The Hoya heart, also known as the sweetheart plant or Valentine’s Hoya, is a classic gift choice: small but perfectly formed, and with an undeniable message of love.
Beginner plant parents will be happy to learn that it’s about as indestructible as houseplants come, provided that you let it dry out between waterings.
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Moth Orchids
Phalaenopsis, or the moth orchid, is perhaps the best orchid for growing at home. They’re elegant, colorful, long-lasting, and among the easiest to grow. The main season is late winter into spring, but well-grown plants can flower often, sometimes with a few flowers throughout the year.
The good thing is, these flowers will last for six months at a time—far better value than a bouquet of cut blooms. And they won’t be hard to find—they’re the most common orchid due to its ease of production.
Source: Etsy, HappilyPlants
Swiss Cheese Plant
The Monstera deliciosa is all the rage in the world of houseplants. Assuming your other half is part of the Instagram plant community, they will be absolutely thrilled to receive a Monstera for Valentine’s Day—extra points if you can source a variegated plant. If you have a baby Monstera, yours may not have any splits yet. Don’t worry–if you look after it even moderately well, and don’t keep it in low light, your monstera will develop fenestrations, or those characteristic leaf holes.
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Paddle Plant
With the succulent plant trend going strong in 2021, try picking up an unusual member of this plant family. The paddle plant (Kalanchoe luciae) is a fun plant, with red-tinged paddlelike leaves that form in rosette clusters. This will sit happily on a sunny desk or sill, and the more sun it gets, the redder the leaves become. Look for the cultivar ‘Hot Lips’ for an extra-fiery display.
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Pitcher Plants
If you and your Valentine are the types who’d book movie tickets to a horror movie rather than the latest romcom, a carnivorous plant is an unexpected but beautiful houseplant. The pitcher plant has modified leaves known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. The plant will attract and drown houseflies with nectar.
Source: littlepotplants.com
Sweetheart Philodendron
If you and your sweetheart have been dreaming of lush, warm climes, you can bring that tropical feel into your home with the sweetheart philodendron. This evergreen perennial is so popular in part because it’s so easy to care for. It can be styled to add life to any space, whether on your table, in a hanging basket, or even trained to a moss pole. The Heart Leaf Philodendron does prefer a humid environment, so remember to add a mister to your Valentine’s Day package.
Source: Apartment Therapy
Bird of Paradise
Finally, if your love enjoys the unusual, gorgeous, or tropical, consider a Bird of Paradise plant. The bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae) is a showstopper of a houseplant. This large, upright plant adds a breezy flair to any space. It also works as an indoor-outdoor plant—in the summer, you can move it onto the porch or your backyard.