Why are plants the perfect holiday gift? Plants symbolize so many things such as growth, life, and connection, so it only makes sense that we want our giftee to feel this. And unlike typical presents, if you pick just the right plant for whoever you’re gifting it to, trust that this will continue to grow and evolve long after the holiday season is gone—making them think of you every time they look at it. But if you’re not careful (and well-informed), that gift could turn into a time bomb of wilting leaves and shattered dreams. And before you know it, your giftee is calling themselves a plant killer. So this episode is all about a holiday houseplant gift guide that avoids the classic plant gifting pitfalls.

In this episode, we learn:

[03:45] Why do plants make the best gift?
[04:52] What’s the biggest issue about gifting plants?
[06:37] Why choose low-light plants as gifts?
[07:21] How can you make plant gifting fun?
[07:35] #1 Personalized terrariums
[10:28] #2 Kokedama
[12:33] Perfect plants to gift to your loved ones!
[12:44] Perfect plant gift for mindful plant parents
[13:38] Perfect plant gift for curious collector plant parents
[14:36] Perfect plant gift for design-based plant parents
[15:16] Perfect plant gift for urban farmer plant parents
[16:09] Perfect plant gift for low-maintenance plant parents

Order my book!

Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung

Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast,

so you don't miss the amazing episodes we have coming up!

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

The biggest mistake I see people make is not understanding the lighting environment and the lifestyle of whoever you're gifting a plant to. If you're gifting a plant to someone who's never had one before, they're not going to reorganize their whole life around it.

If you’re gifting someone you’ve never met before and you don’t know if they’re going be the type to water it only once a month, it’s going to be really hard to pick the right plant to give to that person. So, you need to be thoughtful about this by getting to know their plant parent personality!

Fun Ways to Gift Plants

Here are some of my favorite ways to make plant gifts extra special:

Personalized Terrariums

Personalized terrariums are so easy to do! You can check out my Youtube video where I walk you through how to make one if you’re curious. In it, I made a terrarium for my sister-in-law who's obsessed with gnomes and works as an elementary school teacher. I filled it with cute little gnomes, fairy garden elements, and some gorgeous humidity-loving plants like fittonias.

Kokedama Magic

If you’re somewhat crafty, try wrapping your plant's roots in moss to create a kokedama. It's an ancient plant art from Japan. You can hang it or sit it as a centerpiece—it doesn’t matter because it’s gonna look aesthetic either way.

Level Up Your Presentation

No need to go all out – even just finding a pot that matches your friend's style or making a cute care card can totally make the gift feel more special.

And if you really want to go all out, you create a plant parent starter kit with a cute watering can, some fertilizer, and maybe even a copy of my book.

Perfect Plants for Different Personalities

Which plants would make the best gifts? Here’s a quick rundown by personality type to help you pick the perfect gift for everyone on your list:

For Mindful Plant Parents

If they're a mindful plant parent, you must give them ferns. They're low light tolerant and they love to be watered. The Bird's Nest Fern, especially the Hurricane variety from Proven Winners, is gorgeous and relatively forgiving.

For Curious Collectors

If you have a curious collector in your life, aka someone who’s already into plants and is kinda the geeky type, I am recently falling in love with this new variety of philodendron called Prismacolor Splash Dash. It’s a variegated plant that will surely add something special to their collection.

For Design-Based Plant Parents

If you have a design-based plant parent, a terrarium could be really cool, or like a Monstera adansonii. They would probably appreciate one big cool statement plant.

For Low-Maintenance Plant Parents

For low-maintenance plant parents, if you're really just shot in the dark and not sure what to gift, go with pothos, philodendron, dracaena, or something that you know is really, really hardy that can still grow with minimal care and lower light levels.

For Urban Farmer Plant Parents

These are people who grow indoors, but they want to grow food or things that they can use. They want their plants to get even more bang for their buck than just aesthetics. They're all about that plant-to-table life, even if their “farm” is just a sunny windowsill! Something like Anthurium andraeanum would be perfect for them.

Final Thoughts

Plant people are kind people—and the world could use more of us. Start them young, gift plants to kids in your life, gift plants to non-plant people in your life, and maybe your plant gift will inspire a new plant parent to stay connected, send...

Give the Gift of Growth // Holiday Houseplant Gift Guide, Ep 263

Powered by Wave AI