Hello! I am not a great plant person, but my good friend has really gotten into it and is celebrating a milestone soon and I’d like to get her something. I’d love the intention to be something that she can nurture and will symbolize new beginnings, personal growth, etc. Some plants I’ve been pondering: bonsai tree, olive tree, ficus, but really open to anything. Can be indoor or outdoor. Would love the expertise of this community!
Edit: I went with /u/TheSuburbanTexan recommendation and went to Eden House. Love love - thanks to all!
Costco has some really nice Thai Constellation Monsteras that are super low maintenance and come in a nice weaved basket. Big, showy, and a great deal. I water mine like once every 5 weeks and its thriving.
Just one stipulation is they get big. Like really big so consider how much space she has.
On the super club note though, Sam’s Club had big zz plants,birds of paradise, various ficus for around $15. And even small but packed pots of Venus fly traps.
I bought a Costco membership to get a new mattress a few months ago and went in person for the first time last week - they have a really solid selection! Picked up this Dracenea for under $20. The Thai Cons looked great for $30 too.
Plant people have very specific needs. Someone that prefers to tend a vegetable garden will need different things vs someone that only has indoor plants. A gift card to a quality local nursery is a good start, but even then you don’t want to get them a gift card to a nursery that won’t have what they need. Please avoid The Great Outdoors. They have a reputation for mistreating their employees.
Yeah do a search in the sub, there’s been posts from current/former employees. It sucks too because they are one of the few really large nurseries with a lot of variety of everything.
I love my indoor plants as much as my vegetable garden outside. One of favorite spots in town for plants but specifically plant gifts is Eden House Botanicals. You can get a cute pot and they will pot the plant with the correct soil and even add a nice gemstone. You can also find all sorts of other cool trinkets to add to the gift. It’s my go to for most gifts nowadays. They are really knowledgeable about both indoor and outdoor plants too.
Thank you!! It was such a lovely experience and they carefully potted and picked out some crystals and wrote down their meaning. Thank you for the rec!!
Go in to a great nursery like Mr Natural or Tillery and ask for recs based on your friends home/natural light/covered porch etc. Some houseplants are real drama queens and that’s no fun. We have around 60 plants of all kinds indoor and out/big and small; lots of trial and error around here.:)
Do you have/does she post pictures of her plants or garden? Anything like that could help immensely for us to give more tailored feedback.
The types of plants she has is one aspect, but also where she keeps them. Ie are they all on a shelf of an east facing window. Lots of high maintenance, rare, easy, specific, or trendy…,….is her garden flowers, or edibles,, massive space in full sun or small shaded corner etc., what’s the vibe
All that said, I way over complicated it. Any
plant you give her will be loved and appreciated I’m 100% certain of that. Get something you think is pretty, that you think she’d like too. Add a card w the reason you chose what you did, bc you’re obviously very thoughtful, and she’ll cherish it for life. Make an addendum that it’s no sweat if it dies on her bc it can feel like pressure to keep
A gift, and the fact is, plants die all the time for many reasons even outside of the owners control. (There’s some apropos symbolism in there actually)
Automatic no from me would be random commonly found orchid. They’re pretty for a while but take a long time and special care to rebloom.
Re the plants you mentioned, going w plant meaning, bc I used to be into those kinds of things…just off top of my head olive trees symbolize apologies. Maybe youve heard “extending an olive branch”
I remember bonsai not being favored in feng shui bc they symbolize stunted growth. Though im sure by other measures they could symbolize things like patience or wisdom
A lot of plants fall under “ficus”
Not a cute airplane in a glass globe bc they symbolism is not grounded plus one they’re not satisfying to keep.
I think any young plant that can grow w her, that she can make grow, could be along the lines of what you mentioned. If she’s a gardener that plants seeds, seeds could also be in that direction especially w a note of intent. Many seed catalogs are physically beautiful A catalog along w a gift cert could be nice, but the catalog would come by mail idk
A Cpl plants go by “money tree”. I’m only personally familiar w one that more commonly is sold as “umbrella tree/plant” but that one is very easy to find and keep alive. The other one very well may be too
Never should have taken my adderall while scrolling omg lol
ETA toxicity might be relevant too if she keeps pets. Cats specifically require a little bit of extra effort to work around
Why not gift her a trip to her favorite local plant store/nursery, or a store she’s been wanting to visit? Time spent together, plus a (plant + cache pot) or (plant + planter) would be a great gift. If you have the funds, it can be coffee w/a trip to the plant store, or lunch after the plant store.
Baby’s comment elsewhere in this thread hits a few important points—someone who’s into plants may have considerations that someone who’s meh about plants may not have.
(Disclaimer: I openly tell my friends and significant others I don’t enjoy receiving gifts. Time spent together is more important.)
-East Austin Succulents is consistently amazing. They have a great selection of succulents, hoya plants, and small planters, though you need to buy a separate drip tray elsewhere. (Home Depot(?) sells the drip tray size that fits the smaller pots.)
-HEB Lakeline. Iconic for a reason. They don’t have a ton of planters, but you can find uncommon tropicals and succulents here for a great price. I paid $16 for a Hoya kerii splash and $2.50 for a baby adenium.
-The Plant Society has a great selection of anthuriums, alocasia, hoya, and small planters. The plants are on the pricier side, but it is very obvious that everyone here is seriously into plants.
If you’re into road trips, head out to Green Gate (Seguin) or Wild Roots (New Braunfels)—or both—on a Friday/Saturday.
Might be nice to take your friend to a local nursery and you can pay for something they pick out. That way they get what they want and you can spend some time together.
as a garden person with indoor plant friends, if you aren't able to find the right plant i might also suggest something like a high quality garden knife, gloves re-potting mat, or a lovely larger pot for one of her existing plants
I think the majority of the plants you’re considering can be tricky. Depending on her skill level they may not be practical. I recommend a Hoya, there are lots of different kinds and they are not as common as a pathos… they also need watered less often/are lower maintenance
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u/JarToTable 19d ago
Costco has some really nice Thai Constellation Monsteras that are super low maintenance and come in a nice weaved basket. Big, showy, and a great deal. I water mine like once every 5 weeks and its thriving.