You might want to consider for an aging friends or relatives easy plants such as African violets, begonias, peace lilies, rosemary, ferns, a windowsill herb garden, a palm or ivy. The therapeutic value of caring for a plant that literally depends on us, that will grow and bloom for us, and encourages us to look forward to tomorrow can’t be under estimated.
Don’t neglect the potential for whimsy in horticultural gift giving. There is the traditional Chia pet, a coffee plant for the Starbucks addict on your list, or catnip for the feline friendly. The tools of gardening also make great gifts, like the user friendly Fiskars pruning shears. Garden books, decorative containers, moisture meters, fertilizers, like Zoo-Doo also make great and useful gifts. Creative readers of this blog can make a distinctive garden hat, personalized pots and unique containers, laminated seed packet markers, etc. for their gardening friends.
Important factors to remember when selecting plants for giving includeMatch the gift plant to the person’s interests and abilities
Match the gift plant to the setting the person can provide. Indoor space, outdoor space, sunny window, sunroom, patio, conservatory greenhouse, shade garden, etc.
Purchase the plant as close to the time it will be given as is convenient, but don’t wait until Christmas eve to find that perfect poinsettia.
Keeping plants viable until they are given.Remember that all plants need light, water and air to live. Denied these big three for even a short time can seriously affect their appearance, producing a gift with yellow foliage, dropping leaves, moldy flowers, or gift wrapped compost.
The cooler we can keep cyclamen, Christmas cactus, mums, mini-roses, amaryllis and lilies the better the chances of an attractive bloom on the big day.
Don’t keep gift plants in those plastic sleeves or decorative pot covers while waiting for Christmas morning. Unless the gift is a water lily there needs to be drainage provision. Keeping a plant in a plastic bag doesn’t satisfy this need.
Keeping them alive after the batteries in the toys are all dead and the ornaments are all packed away.
There are plants that are best treated as a bouquet. When they are done blooming they can become compost. Forced tulips, potted & decorated spruce trees, potted ornamental cypress, cineraria and calceolaria are examples of plants that were designed by nature for a brief but glorious moment on a sunny windowsill.Plants that will make an effective addition to the outdoor landscape should be moved out there as soon as possible. Hollies, junipers, cedars and most other evergreens aren’t well adapted to life indoors. Living Christmas trees like blue spruce, cedar, juniper and holly will tolerate a couple weeks in the living room if they are kept watered, but they need their place in the cool winter sun as soon as possible.
Poinsettias, mums, amaryllis, kalanchoes, begonias and cyclamen will continue to bloom with enthusiasm on a sunny windowsill. Ivies, ferns, peace lilies, anthuriums, ficus and many others are quite content to enjoy an extended stay with you, as long as they get sufficient light and water.
Most plants living indoors should be kept evenly moist but not soggy. The easiest way to do this is to place them in a saucer of water and let them soak it up until the soil surface is moist, dump and excess water from the saucer and let the plant drain for a while. Then don’t water again until the soil surface is dry.
Get the gift plants out of those plastic sleeves as soon as possible. They can hold enough waster to drown your plants.
Top 10 Holiday plants for senior citizensBased on ease of care, color and safety
10. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme windowsill herb garden is #10 on the list but is a great gift that can be useful for many seasons to come, is safe and easy to grow.
9. Ferns, the common Boston ferns, Ruffles and others are easy to grow, are a great reminisce plant and can be decorated for the season.8. Ivy is rugged and eager to grow. It can be found as topiaries in Christmas tree, hoop, heart, and globe shapes. You can also find ivy hanging baskets or small decorative pots. This is an inexpensive, yet dependable, plant
7. Mint is# 7 on the list. It is rugged, easy, aromatic and can be used throughout the winter. It can be planted outdoors in the spring.
6. African Violets are not often thought of as a traditional Christmas plant, but they are ideal, colorful, easy to grow and propagate, few insect problems and a great reminisce plant.
5. Norfolk Pines are found in all sizes from tiny 3" pots to 6' trees. They are often available decorated with lights and ornaments, but you can theme the decorations yourself and make it a truly unique gift plant that will thrive for years with little effort.
3. Rosemary is # 3on the list because it is so aromatic, easy to grow, safe for people and pets and makes a great addition to a wide variety of meals.
2. Mini-Roses are #2 because they are so colorful, so easy to grow and will bloom in spite of you. They will thrive indoors and out as long as they get enough light and water.
1. Poinsettiasare the #1 plant for this season. They now come in a variety of colors and the "bloom" (really modified leaf bracts) will remain colorful for several months. They can be kept to rebloom next year, but this can be a challenge. They are best treated as a long lasting bouquet, not a perennial. 10 holiday plants that are dangerous when ingestedIf there is the possibility of ingesting leaves or other plant parts avoid plants on the danger list below. The same plants can also be harmful to cats and dogs if chewed or swallowed.
1. Mistletoe
2. Holly leaves and berries
3. Amaryllis
4. Azalea
5. Cyclamen
6. Philodendron
7. Florist primrose
8. Narcissus
9. Tulips
10. Anthurium
Other great SAFE plants for holiday giving include
Chia pets, they make a great whimsy planter and the cats love ‘em.
Orchids are easier than you think
Kalanchoes
Dianthus
Geraniums
Begonias
Bromeliads
Palms
Mums
Lavender
Combination planters
Terrariums
These plants that have become a part of the celebration of the Christmas season can continue to give life and color to the home long after the Christmas decorations are packed away. They can bring joy to seniors living in their own home or in a senior community. They can inspire pleasant thoughts and trigger fond memories. They also serve as subjects for conversation.
Special thanks to Lowes Home Improvement Stores and Smiths Supermarkets for many of the photos used in this article. The quality and diversity of plants in these stores was exceptional.
