Newsletter Articles
What Plants Should You Give Your Friends & Family for the Holidays
Written by Kelsey W.
The fall and winter seasons are a time when the leaves change, and we expect fewer flowers to bloom. However, the holiday gatherings and celebrations we enjoy in October and beyond are prime time for giving plants as gifts, especially when you’re shopping for someone who “has everything” already.
Not only are there beautiful plants like chrysanthemums, which are popular gifts for display during the last few months of the year, but these and other plants often have uses beyond simple display, too, that make them extra special as gifts.
Let’s explore a few options you have for giving plants as gifts for the holidays, and the creative holiday uses you have for these gifts.
Welcoming Family with Plants at Thanksgiving
The classic chrysanthemum is often the first plant people think of when they think about buying a plant for the fall or Thanksgiving season. Chrysanthemums are a popular feature on porches, as well as within the Thanksgiving displays people put on their fireplaces and entryway tables.
The only drawback to chrysanthemums is that they’re what some might consider an “advanced” plant as far as the average person’s ability to keep them alive for more than a season. They often start to fade and look quite worse for wear by the time the end of the year approaches and we start looking for evergreen trees and menorahs for December décor.
With that in mind, chrysanthemums are a beautiful option for your November plant gift, but a fun alternative, particularly for the week of Thanksgiving when the kitchen will be busy, is an herb that the gift recipient can use in their Thanksgiving meal.
One excellent option is sage, which is a common ingredient in stuffing recipes. Some chicken and meat dishes also contain sage as a seasoning. One of the nice features of sage is that it’s easy to grow whether you put it inside or outside, so it’s a great gift for apartment and condo dwellers who may only have a windowsill or balcony as a place to grow their plant gift.
Another popular herb for seasoning Thanksgiving meals is thyme, which is as easy to grow as sage, but which does require a little more attention paid to it while it gets established in its new home. It’s happy in a container in a sunny window and doesn’t like to sit in soggy soil.
Honestly, virtually any popular herb like rosemary, oregano, parsley, or cloves is an appropriate gift during the holiday season, but it’s much more fun to offer these gifts in actual plant form than in a standard plastic container from the grocery store.
If you’re not sure whether the recipient of your gift would have the time to care for a new plant, you can always take a fresh cutting from your own herb garden and offer it as a gift they can use in their Thanksgiving meal. A meaningful and useful gift!
December and Winter Holiday Plant Gifts
The aptly named Christmas cactus is second only to the evergreen tree and maybe mistletoe when it comes to popular holiday plants for the end of the year, and the primary reason Christmas cactuses are so popular in December is because they often bloom right on time for the holiday season.
Now interestingly, there is a “Thanksgiving cactus,” too, but the leaves are a more pointed shape than the Christmas cactus leaf. The fun part of owning a Christmas cactus is that, when given the right conditions, it blooms in the winter, right around the Christmas holiday.
The secret to getting a Christmas cactus to bloom is to ensure it’s kept cool at night and that it enjoys a long, dark night. This is most easily accomplished in the winter when the nights are long, the days are short, and the weather gets chilly. You can even encourage the cactus to bloom by removing the old blooms whenever they fade.
If you’re not sure whether your gift recipient has the talent for growing a Christmas cactus, you can also consider gifting a small plant that looks like a miniature Christmas tree. Now, there are loads of places that sell tiny plastic trees, but let’s opt for something that smells and looks a little more authentic than plastic décor.
One option is to employ a rosemary bush as a pseudo-Christmas tree. You can actually shape rosemary bushes into just about any shape, including the triangular shape of a traditional evergreen tree. You can cut them into all sorts of topiary-inspired shapes, but shaping a rosemary bush into a Christmas tree is actually really easy.
Now, the only caveat here is that you usually need to start this process months in advance, so that the little bush is properly shaped like a triangle by the time December rolls around. Sometimes, you might find a rosemary bush already shaped like an evergreen tree at your garden center, but if not, you can also make a project out of it and shape it yourself.
Another fun little bush option for mimicking the look of a holiday tree is the ground pine, sometimes called a clubmoss plant. These plants are actually related to ferns, and they usually don’t grow any taller than knee-level. They actually grow incredibly slowly, and some people use them as holiday wreaths.
Celebrate Every Holiday with Green Thumb Nursery
Every holiday is better with plants, whether they’re part of your beautiful holiday celebration or a gift for a loved one, coworker, or friend. If you’re keen on finding a timely, beautiful, and fun plant to use this holiday season, your first stop should be one of our Southern California garden centers. We have all the plants and advice you need to find the perfect plant gift this fall and winter. Stop by today for plant gift ideas and inspiration.
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