‘Tis the season: Lovely plants for gifting
The holidays are upon us and, if you find yourself at a loss when it comes to gift-giving, why not consider a living gift, one that the recipient can enjoy for years to come? There are a few holiday houseplant standards such as Norfolk Island Pine, Kalanchoe, Amaryllis and Paperwhite Narcissus, with some needing a bit more attention from the owner than others. Apart from these, one of my personal favorites is the tried and true African Violet, or Saintpaulia ionantha.
I recall growing up with a dozen or more African Violets of differing colors and textures gracing my parents’ home. My mother was crazy for them. The African Violet is easy to care for, given the proper light and moisture. So, what’s not to love?
To increase humidity, which the plant greatly appreciates, place the pot on top of pebbles in a tray. As with many other houseplants, water when the soil surface is dry to the touch and, then, give the plant a nice drink. Go slowly with watering, making certain to avoid getting any on the leaves. Keep in mind that if you over-water you can be pretty much assured that root rot will result.
These plants enjoy bright light for up to 12 hours a day, but not direct sunlight. You’ll know if the plants are getting too much light, because the leaves will start to look washed out, taking on a greenish-yellow tint. Too little light and leaves will appear thin and dark green. In either case you can remedy the situation by moving the plants to another location and they should rebound nicely.
There are specific potting mixes for African Violets, which takes the guesswork out of what soil mixture is best to use. Definitely a plus in my mind!
For gift-giving you could also consider a plant that brings with it a lovely scent and can also be added to a variety of dishes, Rosemary. In addition to its flavor-packed qualities, when formed into a topiary the design can add a nice, festive touch to the holiday season.
Rosemary prefers a sunny location and can be kept on the dry side, with watering perhaps only once a week indoors. After the holidays it can either remain indoors or be planted outdoors in a sunny location with good drainage, and in an area that provides enough space for the herb to spread. Left unchecked Rosemary can grow to 6 feet with a similar spread, which is why some gardeners prefer to grow it as a container plant.
Finally, if you want to gift a plant that is a little out of the ordinary, you could consider an air plant. There are so many varieties of Tillandsia you may find it difficult to limit your selections, and may even find that you will want to gift yourself one of these beauties. So, be prepared!
Depending on the species, an air plant will prefer more or less light and more or less scheduled water applications. Too often it seems air plant owners mistakenly believe these lovelies live on air alone. Definitely not the case. Left to their own designs as houseplants, they will surely fade away.
When gifting an air plant, or any plant for that matter, a nice touch would be to include care instructions.
A final thought: Prior to gifting a plant, consider who you are gifting it to. Though it may seem unbelievable, not everyone is a plant person.
Until next time … Happy gardening and gift-giving!
Janetta Fox is a Lee County Master Gardener volunteer and member of the Garden Club of Cape Coral.
Sources:
Air Plant – tillandsia. (n.d.). UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions. Retrieved from https://gardening solutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ houseplants/air-plants.html
Brown, Sydney P. (November, 2020). African violets. UF/IFAS Extension. Retrieved from https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ publication/MG028
Rosemary topiaries. (n.d.). UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions. Retrieved from
https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/vegetables/rosemary-topiary.html
To reach JANETTA FOX, please email news@breezenewspapers.com