Houseplants for the Holidays

  

Add a colorful flair to your holiday décor and gift-giving by including a few unique houseplants. With their vibrant foliage and colorful blooms, they’ll add a special touch to your home or office. Moreover, houseplants help clean the air we breathe and elevate our moods.  Here are just a few of the many houseplants you can grow successfully indoors for the holidays and beyond.   

With its red flowers and dark green foliage, Anthurium delivers some of the best of holiday colors. Anthurium thrives when placed near a bright window. It will do okay in low light situations, but don't expect it to flower as well.  Allow the soil to dry slightly between each watering.  

Kalanchoes are succulents with thick green leaves and bright, cheerful flowers. These plants prefer bright, indirect light to flower well. As with all succulents, it's best to avoid over-watering. Let the plant dry, then water thoroughly.  

Croton is a beautiful and festive plant for your home during the fall and the holidays because it contains the colors often associated with this time of year.  

Aglaonema are one of the easiest houseplants to grow. Also known as Chinese Evergreen, you can grow this plant in low, medium or bright light situations and still enjoy its colorful foliage. Just avoid direct sun. Aglaonema will tolerate dry soil but does best with regular watering.  

Peperomia plants make great additions to your desk or table. Easy to grow, Peperomia will do well in low to medium light. Water this plant thoroughly, then let it dry out slightly before you water it again.  

Spathiphyllum, also known as Peace Lilies, grow naturally in the shade so they are a good choice for an area that doesn't get a lot of natural light. Water enough to keep the soil moist. Avoid letting the soil dry out completely. Peace Lilies are among the easiest plants to grow in your home or office. They are also one of the best plants for improving air quality indoors.  

Calathea stand out with their eye-catching foliage. Calathea will do well in low light conditions indoors.   

Wintergreen is a colorful, aromatic herb. 

Holiday cactus plants do well in mixed containers.  

As a rule, all these houseplants will do well when kept at normal room temperatures. You'll want to keep your houseplants healthy and growing by feeding them every two weeks with houseplant fertilizer such as Schultz’s 10-15-10 or Jack’s Houseplant fertilizer. On the weeks you don’t fertilize, water with Super Thrive, a vitamin solution that includes Kelp. This supplement will help your plants thrive.   

  

Houseplants make easy, beautiful gifts for teachers, co-workers and hostesses. They're a gift that will last long after the holidays are over. 

 

Gift Suggestions for the Gardener on your List

 

  

It’s the season for gifting and whether you’re shopping for an experienced gardener who seems to already have everything or someone who's just starting off, these are gifts the green thumb on your list will really use and they'll think about you every time they do.   

Having the right tool makes every job easier. This is true whether the gardener on your list enjoys growing tomatoes, vegetables, roses or houseplants. Gifts such as a good set of pruners, a garden knife, scoops and trowels and gardening gloves will be appreciated by gardeners of all ages and experience levels.  

  

If you're looking for a versatile tool that the gardener in your family will really use, choose a hori-hori gardening knife.  Hori-hori combines many of the features of your larger garden tools into a single, smaller form. Hori-hori comes from the Japanese word "hori", which means "to dig". Once you start using your hori-hori, you'll discover you can use this tool to accomplish many tasks in your garden, including digging, planting, weeding, cutting open bags, mixing soil and dividing plants. In fact, once you figure out how useful a garden knife is, you'll want to have it with you every time you walk into the garden.  

 

A good set of pruners is another essential tool for every gardener. They'll use them to prune roses, perennials, shrubs, and small tree limbs. Choose a quality bypass pruner for the best results.   

 

Trimming scissors are a good tool to have for some of the finer work in the garden, such as deadheading and light pruning. They are also useful indoors for keeping houseplants neat and trimmed. This is the tool we use at the 'Bin for all our pruning and trimming chores.   

 

Garden scoops and trowels are useful for many tasks, including digging, weeding, filling pots with soil and planting. These tools are hand-forged with hardwood handles and will last.   

 

Looking for a unique gift for the indoor gardener on your list? Trimming scissors and floral snips with an ergonomic finger rest are useful gifts for maintaining houseplants.   

 

While the gardeners on your list might not be working outside planting this time of year, it's never too early to start prepping for their next outdoor project. Seed starting supplies, including seeds, soil, heat mats and grow lights are always welcome. 

 

Finish shopping for your gardener with a good pair of gloves and add some hand lotion while you're at it.   

Still not sure? A Flower Bin gift card is always a good choice.