Right Plant: Right Recipient

RIGHT PLANT: RIGHT RECIPIENT

            There are days when life is so laden with complications that my head feels like Humpty Dumpy after he took the great fall.  Instead of wallowing in the pain, I do what any plant enthusiast would do–go to the garden center.
            At this time of the year, plant merchandisers’ aisles are stuffed with a mind-boggling assortment of plants for the holidays.  Orchids in every color of the rainbow cram the shelves.  Amaryllis lurk around every corner, often in the company of their holiday travelling companions, Christmas cactus.  Poinsettias in all colors and sizes threaten to reach out and grab unwary shoppers.  Cyclamens rear their ruffled heads and flaunt their damask-like foliage.  Bright pink azaleas dare you to even think that it is unseasonable to see them in December.  A few turns around an average-size garden center and the confusion about life’s little challenges and indignities is replaced by confusion about what to choose for yourself or as gifts for others.
            Before you become addled, trying to pick from so many options, consider the recipients of your holiday largess.  If you are buying something for yourself, it’s easy.  If, however, you are buying gifts for others, consider the recipients’ tastes and circumstances.  Is Aunt Jane a plant lover who would appreciate a long-lasting plant; or is she someone who would prefer a brief, no-strings-attached holiday fling with a colorful specimen that can go out to the curb after the blossoms fade?
            The following is a list of holiday favorites, grouped according to recipient types:
For Plant Lovers: These people often appreciate plant gifts, though indoor space may be a problem for some. 

  • Christmas Cactus or Schlumbergera, is a wonderful gift.  The blooms appear at the ends of the segmented stems and pop out in shades of pink, red, orange, purple or white, with bi-colored choices increasingly available.  The plants are easy to care for and will rebloom–though not necessarily at holiday time–without much help from the gardener. 
  • African Violets–If finances are tight, get your favorite plant person a pot full of colorful African violets or Saintpaulia.  Larger stores carry an array of colors and the prices are unbelievably low.  African violets will rebloom at regular intervals and can survive for years provided they are not overwatered. 
  • Moth Orchids:  Whatever you do, do not buy an orchid for an orchid fanatic.  He or she already has plenty, and buys specimens far more exotic than you can find in an average garden center.  However, for novice to intermediate indoor gardeners, a moth orchid or Phalaenopsis might be welcome.  They come in white, yellow, purple and pink varieties, sometimes with stripes or spots.  Despite their exotic appearance, they are easy to care for and thrive under reasonable home conditions.  Best of all, they will survive nicely with a weekly, twenty-minute soak in a bowl of water.  A semi-shaded outdoor vacation spot is nice for moth orchids, but not necessary.

For Those Who Want a Commitment-Free Plant Relationship\

  • Paperwhites are available in either in kit form or pre-potted, and provide a taste of spring in mid-winter.  If you want your gift to bloom within the next few weeks, buy pre-potted bulbs that already have buds atop the stems.  Paperwhites come with only one caveat.  Some people, like my daughter, find the smell more offensive than enticing. 
  • Amaryllis have become almost as popular as poinsettias for the holidays.  Like paperwhites, they come either pre-potted, in kits, or as bulbs sold in bulk.  If you have several people to buy for, purchase the bulbs in bulk and pot them up yourself in cheap but attractive holiday containers.  They won’t bloom for several weeks, but will brighten things up after the holidays.  Some people try to get amaryllis to rebloom, but often the second-year results are less impressive than the first year’s flush of bloom
  • Poinsettias have come a long way from the gawky Mexican plant named for nineteenth century diplomat Joel Poinsett.  Now they are available in an almost infinite variety of sizes, colors and forms–from little red rose-form specimens to behemoths with bracts that look like pink and white linoleum.  As long as the pots are watered when the soil feels dry, the colorful bracts will last a long time.  Only the most dedicated plant lovers can get them to rebloom, a process that requires measured amounts of total darkness in the fall.  Like amaryllis, poinsettias are best enjoyed during the festive season and composted thereafter.
  • Cyclamen and Azaleas: Both will provide up to a month of beautiful color.  Under average indoor conditions, azaleas will most likely die thereafter.  Cyclamen go dormant after the flowering period, at which time watering should stop until about September, when the blooming cycle commences again.  Dormancy makes non-plant people impatient, so the vast majority of cyclamens are holiday ephemerals.

            Plant gifts are bright, happy and easy to give and receive.  Matching the plant to the recipient will create a guilt-free holiday for both parties.