Five great indoor plants to give as a gift

For me, house plants add brightness and joy to the indoors. In addition, plants are good for our health as they clean the air we breathe from impurities. Today, we have an endless variety of plants that grow with minimal care indoors. If you are looking for the perfect indoor plant to give as a gift, continue reading. These five plants do equally well in low light and brighter light (north or west-facing window). Before we look at the plants, here are a few pointers for choosing a healthy plant.

• Choose a plant for the light conditions available. As mentioned above, the plants I selected will do well in most light situations. Just avoid direct sunlight from a south-facing window.
• Check both the top and undersides of leaves. Look for insects or disease damage on the leaves. Insect damage may include holes in the leaves. Disease could include yellow tips on the leaves and/or black/brown spots on the leaves.
• Look for plants that have signs of new leaves unfurling or new leaf buds.
• Gently lift the entire plant out of its container. Inspect the roots. The roots should be white or tan and numerous. A pot-bound plant will have numerous roots encircling the entire container. Pot bound plants should be repotted.

Here are my recommendations for five great indoor plants to give as a gift (or keep yourself). I include both the common name as well as the botanical name. If you are searching on the internet for more information about one of these plants, I recommend you search with the botanical name (e.g. name in parenthesis).

Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)

This is the first plant I ever purchased. It is perfect for beginners because it’s so easy to care for. Pothos can be grown in a hanging basket, guided up a trellis, or be allowed to wander along a shelf. Pathos tolerates low light but also does well in medium and full light. While it prefers moist soil, it will even do well if watering is missed.

What I really love is that there are some interesting new varieties.  Here are the two I recommend:

Neon Pothos (Epipremnum aureum ‘Neon’)

I fell instantly in love with this Neon Pothos. Wow, such striking bold and bright leaves. To keep its vibrant color, medium-light is recommended. The plant is so beautiful when seen, the picture doesn’t do it justice.

Trebi Pothos (Scindapsus pictus ‘Trebi’)

Sometimes referred to as Silver Pothos. Botanically, this is not a member of the pothos family but is a close relative. Silver Pothos features beautiful dark green leaves with silver markings throughout. Simply striking!

Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)

The one plant I vividly remember from childhood is the snake plant. My mother always had a snake plant in the house. I can remember being fascinated by the long, sword-like, pointed leaves. This is hands down the easiest indoor plant. It can be neglected and ignored and still do fine (not that I recommend neglecting). Sansevieria trifasciata is the most popular of the various snake plant varieties.

Snake plants are a succulent and can grow up to 6 feet tall. Contrary to most succulents, snake plants prefer low light and occasional watering. A slow-release fertilizer will aid growth. Because snake plants tend to grow slowly, I recommend purchasing a plant that is already 18-24 inches tall. These plants fit into both traditional and modern décor and add a bit of drama to the indoors.

Little Swiss Monstera (Monstera adasonii)

When most people think about a monstera plant, they envision a big, bold tropical plant with large leaves (monstera deliciosa). Monstera deliciosa is also sometimes called Swiss-cheese plant. However, the variety of monstera that I recommend is called Little Swiss Monstera (monstera adasonii). This variety has smaller leaves but a lovely texture with small holes in the leaves. So beautiful and unusual. While monstera tolerates low light, it will grow faster in medium to bright light. Water when the soil is dry. This is a vining plant but can be controlled with pruning.

ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia)

My daughter first introduced me to the ZZ Plant. I can remember thinking that it looked like such a proud plant with multiple stalks of attractive glossy green leaves. ZZ is a slow-growing plant that does well in low light. The roots of the ZZ Plant are large succulent rhizomes. Allow the soil to dry out between waterings. Too much water can damage the roots (and ultimately the plant itself).

Bird’s Nest Fern (Asplenium nidus)

This is a slow-growing epiphytic fern that can be grown outdoors in USDA garden zones 10-11. Epiphytic refers to a plant that grows on another plant and takes its nutrients directly from the air and rain, also called an air plant. However, these are also beautiful plants to grow indoors. Its leaves are light green and crinkled. While it prefers a bright area in the home, it can also tolerate low light conditions. I love to watch as the leaves unfurl as they grow from the center of the plant. If you look closely at the center of the picture above, you will see one new leaf that is almost fully unfurled.

These plants like their soil evenly moist and benefit from humidity. To add humidity to a plant, put some small pebbles in the saucer under the plant and add water. Set the container on top of the pebbles. Ok, maybe the bird’s nest fern requires a bit more care, but still a great indoor plant to consider.

Once you have your plant, you can read or share this link on How to Care for Indoor Houseplants. In addition, you might also be interested in The Complete Guide for Caring for African Violets.