Indoor Gardening Gifts
- Gifts for an Indoor Gardener -
- Gifts from an Indoor Gardener -
Here's everything you need to know about indoor gardening gifts, whether you're an Indoor Gardener buying gifts for a non-gardener or you're buying gifts for an Indoor Gardener -- or for yourself.
First, be sure that the recipient likes growing plants.
Giving houseplants as gifts is almost as tricky as presenting someone with a pet they haven't begged for.
Plants require willingness and commitment in the form of time, care, and attention.
Scroll down the page to see our carefully chosen indoor garden gifts as well as some things to consider when buying plants for others.
There are also ideas for those who have enough greenery but could use some interesting items to help their green thumbs accomplish their work. Or just help the indoor garden look better!
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Just a bit over one foot in diameter, the Stack-A-Pot makes good use of small spaces. You can grow a varied herb garden in this one multi-pot. Remember to turn it now and then so all your plants get the sunshine they need.
Do you sometimes prefer dried herbs for cooking rather than fresh snips? This Herb Drying Kit is a great gift for yourself or others who enjoy growing their own. ($29.95)
An indoor garden that doubles as a decorative conversation piece, the Dome Terrarium grows herbs that last for months. With 5 herbs, an instruction booklet, and everything you need to get going, this makes a great gift any time of year, for any occasion!
You're going to need to clip your herbs for use as well as to keep them growing thick and healthy. These Herb Snippers do the job beautifully! Click the link or image to read more about them and order a pair for your indoor herb garden.
What better gift for an indoor gardener than herbs to grow that can then be used for relaxation? The Aromatherapy Gift set provides seeds, pretty little pots, organic soil, and a tray. Just breathe them in or make a potpourri once they've grown.($24.99)
Finally! A gift that every indoor gardener can use -- I know I can! The 18" Thirsty Plant Mats drink up any water that spills from house plants, keeping surfaces safe. They're packaged as a pair, since no one has just one house plant!($14.95)
Needing only air, light, and water to thrive, this Tillandsia Collection is easy for anyone to grow. The gift includes five kinds of air plants that are beautiful as they are fascinating. ($39.95)
Even those who aren't indoor gardeners already will enjoy this soil-free Bromeliad Garden. Complete with a grapevine root for them to grow on, the two kinds of bromeliads will grow anywhere except where temperatures reach freezing. ($64.95)
Anyone with indoor plants need a place to root cuttings - and these Rooting Vases make a very pretty as well as useful gift. Made of recycled glass, each is about 2-1/2 inches round, so they take up very little space indoors. ($11.95 each; colors as available)
For those who like house plants and for those like only the idea of house plants, this 2012 Calendar from Indoor-Gardener.com highlights 12 different plants as well as monthly to-do lists. And the daily boxes on the pages are large enough to keep notes about the health and well-being of any indoor garden!
Living, Breathing, Growing
Indoor Garden Gifts
Consider the following before buying a plant for someone you know.
(The exceptions, of course, are Christmas poinsettias and Christmas cactus, which are always great indoor gardening gifts for just about anyone.)
- Do they have other plants already?
Plants need space, time, care, and attention. People often pass on houseplants because they don't have the desire or ability to give them the care they require. If you insist on presenting them with a live plant, it will most likely end up droopy, dead, or - in the best circumstances - regifted to an Indoor Gardener.Some people just don't have green thumbs, no matter how hard they try. They may not have houseplants because they may be tired of watching them die under their care. Don't force more grief on them with indoor gardening gifts that need care they can't give.
- What kinds of plants do they already have?
Someone with a collection of cacti and succulents, for instance, probably won't remember to spray and water a fern. Buying them another succulent, however, will result in heartfelt gratitude. Take their interests into account before making your purchase. - Do they have space for another plant?
My friends and family will personally see to a major scolding if anyone gifts me with another plant. They have a hard enough time finding me between the leaves as is. (Of course I'll get more - there's a couple of inches here somewhere...)Consider how they use their space, also. If they have a huge recliner on the patio in the windowed corner with a bookcase and lamp set up for comfortable reading, they're not going to appreciate a huge shrub that requires direct sun. A small ivy, however, that can perch happily on the edge of a bookshelf, would probably make them happy.
- Do they have time?
Think about the needs of the plant as well as the activities and lifestyles of your friends and relatives. An airline pilot can't take care of a thirsty fern, but might enjoy returning home to a bowl of assorted cacti. And never buy a bonsai, no matter how intriguing or beautiful it is, for someone who hates details and has only a small attention span available. - What is their home environment like?
Especially in urban areas, apartments can be not only small but also dark. Most plants need light - lots of light. Even a "low-light" houseplant wants to see some sunshine during the day. Check the tags on the plants before you buy them. A few, such as a snake plant, survive shadowy apartments and windowless offices.
The Best Indoor Garden Gifts
for an Indoor Gardener
Of course, if your best friend is an avid collector of orchids, for instance, and your third cousin twice removed on your second aunt-in-law's side is an orchid breeder in the Andes, home on a visit with legal specimens - by all means, wrap a ribbon around it and yell Happy Birthday! You'll be a hero.
But if that's not the case, here are three ideas for indoor gardening gifts any Indoor Gardener will appreciate!
- Cuttings from your own indoor garden. If your friend or relative has admired one of your plants, take a cutting and plant it well before you need to give it. Use a pretty container and put a ribbon around it.
- Shopping spree. Why not take your friend or relative to your favorite (better yet, their favorite) nursery or plant store, state a price range, and let them pick the next houseplant they want? It not only results in something they'll be sure to cherish, but will give the two of you some quality time together.
- Gift cards. If you live at a distance or are allergic to plants, there's always the gift certificate from a local nursery or home supply store. Again, if they make the choice, they'll be happy with the result.
Plant-Related Non-Plant
Indoor Garden Gifts
Instead of buying plants, consider these other gifts any Indoor Gardener will appreciate:
- Beautiful containers
- Homemade planters (especially by children)
- Decorative garden stakes and trellises
- Miniature fountains
- Self-watering decorative glass bulbs
- Plant lights
- Attractive but functional identification tags
- A decorative watering can
- Antique garden tools (for indoors, of course)
- Flower, herb, or garden calendar
- Pot decoration
- Photography books of houseplants, herbs, gardens
- Informative indoor gardening books
- Subscriptions to magazines that cover indoor gardening
For more ideas on Indoor Gardening Gifts
take a look at these pages:
Antique Garden Tools
Garden Calendars
Indoor Garden Figurines
Indoor Herb Garden
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