Plant as a gift: which one to give for the light and the time available

A plant as a gift is welcome if it can live in the person's home. First look at the light in the home, then at the time they want to give it. A sunny window and little time: cacti or a sweetheart hoya. A bright room without sun: a trio of foliage plants. A dark room, or someone who forgets to water: a moss terrarium.

Two questions: light and time

If you do not know, ask discreetly where the person would put a plant. A plant that lacks light stretches and turns pale.

For a sunny window: cacti

Our six cacti arrive already planted, each in its own ceramic pot 7.2 cm in diameter. They are 8 to 12 cm tall, pot included. The varieties change from one pot to the next, depending on the grower.

They need bright light, as close to a window as possible. In spring and summer, a few spoonfuls of water per plant every two to three weeks, when the substrate is dry all the way down. In autumn and winter, once a month at most, or not at all in a cool room. The Royal Horticultural Society also recommends an almost dry rest in winter, and never leaving the plant standing in water.

Six pots make a gift to share: keep three, give away three. The spines hurt on contact: keep them out of reach of children. For what comes next, our guide to indoor cactus care explains repotting and winter care.

The heart to give: Hoya kerrii

Hoya kerrii has heart-shaped leaves. It is a succulent that needs little water. Our Sweetheart trio brings together three hoyas, each in a 6 cm ceramic mini pot, in red or pink.

It wants bright light, near a window. It makes do with a few spoonfuls of water every two to three weeks in the growing season, like a cactus. In winter, once a month at most.

One thing to know: a hoya sold as a single leaf, without a piece of stem, can go a very long time without making a new shoot. The Teesside branch of the British Cactus and Succulent Society mentions a leaf that took almost 18 months to make its first shoot. Tell the person: they will not expect a trailing vine in a month. Our guide to Hoya kerrii says more.

For a bright room without sun: a trio of foliage plants

Our blue and white set brings together three mini plants: an ornamental asparagus, a coffee plant and a Calathea makoyana. The three mini pots are all white or all blue, as you choose.

These plants want indirect light, without direct sun. The calathea fades in the sun: the pattern on its leaves turns pale. The potting soil stays slightly moist for all three. It is a gift for someone who likes looking after their plants.

The pastel trio follows the same idea, with three 6 cm ceramic pots in white, pink and yellow. You choose the mix: cacti, succulents or classic plants. Choose it to suit the light in the home.

The plant and its pot, in one gift

The ivory set brings together a living plant and a round pot in glossy ivory ceramic, 9 cm in diameter. There are four plants to choose from: the sweetheart hoya, the coffee plant, the fern or the Cordyline mini palm.

The plant arrives in its 6 cm nursery pot. It slips into the 9 cm ivory pot. The manufacturer does not say if the ivory pot has a hole in the bottom. So use it as a cover pot: take the plant out to water it, let it drain, then put it back.

Choose the plant to suit the home. The sweetheart hoya goes near a bright window and needs very little water. The fern likes potting soil that is always moist.

For a dark room: moss in a terrarium

For a dimly lit office or for someone who forgets to water, moss is the safest choice. Our Moss & Light kit is a closed terrarium, planted only with living moss. It needs indirect light, never direct sun. You mist it when the glass no longer fogs up. Its cork lid has an LED.

It is a kit to put together, in about half an hour. To choose between a kit to build and a planted terrarium, read our guide to giving a terrarium. All our terrariums are on the terrarium page.

How to give a living plant

• Open the box on the day it arrives. The plants travel in an insulated parcel, and should be settled in within 48 hours.
• Have it delivered where someone is home, especially in winter. A parcel left out in the cold damages the leaves.
• Add a care card: light, watering, and what not to do. Copy it from the product page.
• Think about pets. If the person has a cat or a dog, read the "pets" line on the product page before you choose.
• If a plant arrives damaged, send us a photo: we will replace it.

For a new home, our guide to the housewarming gift offers other ideas.

In short

1. Look at the light in the home before you choose the plant.
2. A sunny window and little time: cacti or a sweetheart hoya.
3. A bright room without sun: a trio of foliage plants, or the pastel trio with the right mix.
4. A dark room: a moss terrarium.
5. Include a care card, and open the box on the day it arrives.

Sources

• How to grow cacti and succulent houseplants, Royal Horticultural Society
• Hoya kerrii, Teesside branch gallery, British Cactus and Succulent Society
• Manufacturer data sheets and Small Eden set sheets (pots, dimensions, plants, care)