Which houseplants make the best gifts?
A houseplant is the gift that keeps on giving. It purifies the air and will spruce up virtually any residence. But which houseplants make the best gifts?
Whether you're looking for a living room focal point or a cute little Instagram plant, you have a couple nice options. One thing to remember: unless you recipient is a Plant Master, you'll want to pick a plant that's fairly easy to take care of, lest you unwittingly give them the gift of murdering something beautiful.
And try to buy from a local greenhouse if you can! The plants there will likely be healthier than the ones you'll find online. It's worth sacrificing a little convenience.
1. Air plant
Air plants are small, cute, and pretty easy to take care of. All they require is some misting or a quick soak if the going gets tough. They don't even need soil!
Best of all, you could probably pull off transporting one in your carry-on if you really need to. Just be careful not to squish it.
2. Peace lily
I have a beautiful peace lily, and let me tell you this: when I say this plant is forgiving, I don't use the term the way you'd describe, like, a stretchy pair of pants. I use it in the sense that my peace lily is absolutely sentient and has chosen to forgive me for forgetting to water it with alarming regularity. It looks great!
Give a peace lily to the person who's never kept a plant alive. It could be the confidence boost they need.
3. Aloe vera
The aloe vera plant is a type of succulent and, per the Old Farmer's Alamanac, has fairly straightforward care requirements. Give this one to your friends who forget sunscreen -- the juice from the leaves can be used to soothe sunburns (and scrapes). They'll never buy those weird clear bottles of aloe again!
4. Snake plant
The snake plant is also a succulent, but unlike the aloe vera plant, it has large, slick-looking leaves and extremely good posture. It'll survive in pretty much any home, so your recipient's chances of success are promising. In fact, they won't even need to prune it -- it grows that slowly.
What I'm trying to say is this plant is super chill, but also has its shit together.
5. A fake plant
Hey, no shame. Let climate and care fall by the wayside. You can get any kind of fancy "plant" you want.
Happy gifting! And don't forget the spray bottle or watering can.
Chloe was the shopping editor at Mashable. She was also previously a culture reporter. You can follow her on Twitter at @chloebryan.
