Gifting plants is a wonderful way to share your love of gardening and to give someone a present that can last a lifetime.
Whether it’s for Christmas, a housewarming gift, something for Mother’s day or a birthday, or even fun party favors, plants are incredibly thoughtful for any occasion.
In this post, I will show you how to choose the best types to give, and I also included some inspiration and ideas for wrapping them.
Tips For Choosing The Perfect Gift Plant
Live plants make such a great present because they are beautiful and come in all shapes and sizes to fit the gardening skill level and preferences of everyone.
But first you should do a little investigating to make sure you choose the right one for the person you’re giving it to.
- Is your friend allergic to flowers? If so, succulents or foliage-only ones will be better, otherwise here are some beautiful flowering indoor plants.
- Do they have pets? If so, make sure to choose one that’s non-toxic to animals, here are some great pet-friendly options.
- Are they a self-proclaimed brown thumb? Then choose something that’s low maintenance, here’s my list of the easiest houseplants to grow.
The Best Plants To Give As Gifts
I think we can all agree that giving a plant as a gift is perfect for any occasion, but how do you choose the best one?
Perennials are nice, but it can be challenging to know exactly which ones will work well in someone else’s garden.
Herbs are also good, but unless your friend wants to bring them indoors during the winter, it can be short lived.
Unless you’re giving them to someone who has experience caring for them, I recommend choosing indoor ones that will do well in any home, and low light houseplants are good examples.
Some of the best ones are pothos, spider plants, dieffenbachia, peperomia, arrowhead vine, philodendrons, cast iron plant, corn plant, snake plants, Chinese evergreen, succulents, and ZZ plants.
Tips For Wrapping Plants
They may be tiny or large, cascading or tall, wide or skinny, or anything in between – but one thing’s for sure, plants can be difficult and awkward to wrap.
You could easily tuck a small one inside of a festive bag or wrap it in a box, but that won’t work for larger ones.
So in that case, I like to let the plant be the spotlight of the show from the beginning, instead of covering it up.
You can simply tie a bow or ribbon around it to make it look extra special, or add a bit of festive flair to the pot by decorating, painting, or wrapping it.
How To Gift A Plant
When it comes to gifting plants, your options are endless, so you can really let your creativity run wild.
In addition to giving you ideas for items to use, I also wanted to show you some examples of basic ways you can wrap them for some inspiration.
Below I’ve created 4 looks for the holidays and other special occasions. Use these as is, or mix and match your favorites to create the perfect look for any occasion.
Idea 1: Christmas Succulents
Everyone loves succulents – they’re beautiful, low maintenance, and easy to care for. So, for this project, I’m gifting a mix of a couple of my favorite succulent plants to a friend for the holidays.
Since the container is so cute, I chose to keep it simple by wrapping a festive bow around it.
Supplies Needed
- Mix of succulents
- Decorative rocks (I add these to the top of the soil to dress it up)
- Wooden planter (or decorative pot of your choice)
- Holiday ribbon
- Gift bow
- Clear tape
Steps To Recreate
- Step 1: Pot up the succulents in a cute arrangement, or simply place the container into a cute pot.
- Step 2 (optional): Cover the top of the soil with decorative rock to give it some extra character.
- Step 3: Wrap ribbon around the pot. Ensure the ends of it come together where you want to put the bow to hide the seam, and use clear tape to hold it in place.
- Step 4: Add a bow of your choice, covering the ends of the ribbon.
Idea 2: Thank You Garden
This example is super easy, and a great way to thank someone who’s been helpful. Here I simply placed the plant into a decorative pot, then used colorful tape to attach a card and dress it up a bit.
Supplies Needed
- Mix of plants
- Decorative rock (optional)
- Square pot
- Colorful washi tape
- Thank you card
Steps To Recreate
- Step 1: Pot the plants into the decorative container, or simply drop a nursery pot into it.
- Step 2: Cover the soil with decorative rock if you choose to.
- Step 3: Write your card with a message about how grateful you are. Seal the envelope and write “Thank You!” on the envelope.
- Step 4: Position the thank you card on the front of the container, attaching it with two small pieces of washi tape on the corners.
Idea 3: Peek-A-Boo Potted Plant
This is one of my favorite ways to give plants as a gift, because it’s the closest thing to wrapping them without covering them up. It works for any occasion, and you don’t need to buy a special container.
If the pot has drainage holes, I recommend either putting plastic or a drip tray underneath it. This will prevent moisture from coming through the holes and ruining your wrapping.
Supplies Needed
- Plant of your choice
- Colorful tissue paper, fabric, or foil wrapping paper
- Decorative twine
Steps To Recreate
- Step 1: Put the bottom of the pot into a plastic baggie or place a drip tray underneath it.
- Step 2: Lay your fabric or tissue paper on the table in a diamond orientation. You can stagger the corners so that it makes a layered effect, as I did.
- Step 3: Position the plant on top so that one corner of the tissue paper/fabric is laying towards the front of the pot.
- Step 4: Gently gather the wrapping material up around the pot. Secure it in place by tying a piece of decorative twine all the way around the pot, just below the rim. It will be much easier if you have someone to help you for with step. One person holds the tissue paper/fabric in place while someone else ties the twine.
Idea 4: Traditional Surprise Gift Bag
If you prefer that your present stays a surprise until it’s opened, then this one’s for you. As an added bonus, I painted a terracotta pot to give it a theme and make it even more personal.
Gift bags are always easy to use, just be sure to choose one that’s large enough for both the pot and the height of the plant.
Supplies Needed
- Plant of your choice
- Decorative pot
- Gift bag
- Tissue paper
Steps To Recreate
- Step 1: Put the plant in the pot of your choice or leave it in the one it came in. If there are holes in the bottom, wrap it in plastic or put it on a drip tray.
- Step 2: Carefully place it into a festive bag so it’s standing upright on the bottom.
- Step 3: Fluff up various pieces of tissue paper and loosely add them into the bag to hide the plant.
More Gardening Gift Ideas
- 80+ Awesome Gifts For Gardeners
- 15+ Indoor Gardening Gift Ideas For Plant Lovers
- 20+ Unique Gardening Gifts For Mom
Share your tips for wrapping and giving plants as gifts in the comments section below.
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