Colorful Houseplants to Give for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is the perfect opportunity to delight that special someone in your life. A live houseplant is a very personalized gift and will remind them of you long after Valentine's Day is over. Some plants to consider for Valentine's Day gifts include Azaleas, Cyclamen, Senetti, Kalanchoe and miniature roses.  With a few exceptions, these will do well bright, indirect light and room temperature. 

In their natural environment, Azaleas live in the understory of high trees. They thrive in cool, filtered sun. As houseplants, Azaleas do best at cooler temperatures, ideally around 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooler temperatures will also help the blooms last longer. Keep them well lit, but out of direct sun. 

 

Kordana roses are specially developed miniature roses that will do well indoors if you keep them in a window where they will receive morning sunlight and afternoon shade and away from drafts.

 Cineraria plants should be placed in bright, indirect light, with a temperature of around 60 degrees F. The key to growing Cineraria indoors is to keep the soil consistently moist, but not soggy. 

Cyclamen plants like bright, indirect light and cooler temperatures and like to be kept moist. 

Kalanchoe will do well in the low humidity of most houses this time of year. They like to dry out a little between watering. Place them in a bright room, out of direct sunlight. With a little care these beautiful houseplants will bloom for many weeks after Valentine's Day.  

Best Indoor Plants for Clean Air

Houseplants add beauty to our homes and offices, they have a calming effect on us and they give us a sense of well-being. In addition to their obvious attributes, houseplants make us healthier by removing pollutants from the air and adding oxygen back into the room. All houseplants do this to a certain extent and some are really good at purifying our indoor air. 

An outstanding air-purifying plant is the Peace Lily. Peace Lily are very easy to grow. Place them in a spot where they will receive bright, indirect light, keep the soil moist and feed them every three or four weeks and they will reward you with beautiful white flowers and cleaner air for many years. 

Schefflera is a houseplant that features leaves that form a pattern that looks like an umbrella, thus its common name “Umbrella Tree”. Schefflera are great choices for clean air houseplants because they are very tolerant of indoor conditions. 

Pothos plants are easy to care for and they'll do well in areas where you don't have a lot of light.  

Snake plants do best in bright light. You can keep them in a place with low light. They just won't grow as fast. They also like their soil on the dryer side. 

Aglaonema or Chinese Evergreen will tolerate low light and moist but not soggy soil. Let the top inch or two of soil dry out before you water this plant. 

With its large, interesting foliage, the Dieffenbachia plant prefers bright light but will do okay in low light situations, so it's a great choice for many offices. All varieties of Ferns will help improve the air in your home or workplace. In addition, Dracaena, Spider plants, English Ivy, Aloe Vera are houseplants with good air purifying qualities. Not sure about which houseplant to choose? Stop in and we'll help you pick out the best plants for your home and office. You'll feel better surrounded by calming greenery and you'll breathe better too!