{"id":283,"date":"2011-12-12T05:35:17","date_gmt":"2011-12-12T13:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/garden\/?p=283"},"modified":"2015-11-24T07:32:34","modified_gmt":"2015-11-24T15:32:34","slug":"right-plant-right-recipient","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/right-plant-right-recipient\/","title":{"rendered":"Right Plant: Right Recipient"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>RIGHT PLANT: RIGHT RECIPIENT<br \/>\n<\/font><\/font><\/strong><br \/>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There are days when life is so laden with complications that my head feels like Humpty Dumpy after he took the great fall.\u00a0 Instead of wallowing in the pain, I do what any plant enthusiast would do&#8211;go to the garden center.<br \/>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At this time of the year, plant merchandisers&#8217; aisles are stuffed with a mind-boggling assortment of plants for the holidays.\u00a0 Orchids in every color of the rainbow cram the shelves.\u00a0 Amaryllis lurk around every corner, often in the company of their holiday travelling companions, Christmas cactus.\u00a0 Poinsettias in all colors and sizes threaten to reach out and grab unwary shoppers.\u00a0 Cyclamens rear their ruffled heads and flaunt their damask-like foliage.\u00a0 Bright pink azaleas dare you to even think that it is unseasonable to see them in December.\u00a0 A few turns around an average-size garden center and the confusion about life&#8217;s little challenges and indignities is replaced by confusion about what to choose for yourself or as gifts for others.<br \/>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Before you become addled, trying to pick from so many options, consider the recipients of your holiday largess.\u00a0 If you are buying something for yourself, it&#8217;s easy.\u00a0 If, however, you are buying gifts for others, consider the recipients&#8217; tastes and circumstances.\u00a0 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?<br \/>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The following is a list of holiday favorites, grouped according to recipient types:<br \/>\n<strong>For Plant Lovers: <\/strong>These people often appreciate plant gifts, though indoor space may be a problem for some.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Christmas Cactus or Schlumbergera, is a wonderful gift.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 The plants are easy to care for and will rebloom&#8211;though not necessarily at holiday time&#8211;without much help from the gardener.\u00a0 <\/font><\/font><\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">African Violets&#8211;If finances are tight, get your favorite plant person a pot full of colorful African violets or Saintpaulia.\u00a0 Larger stores carry an array of colors and the prices are unbelievably low.\u00a0 African violets will rebloom at regular intervals and can survive for years provided they are not overwatered.\u00a0 <\/font><\/font><\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Moth Orchids:\u00a0 Whatever you do, do not buy an orchid for an orchid fanatic.\u00a0 He or she already has plenty, and buys specimens far more exotic than you can find in an average garden center.\u00a0 However, for novice to intermediate indoor gardeners, a moth orchid or Phalaenopsis might be welcome.\u00a0 They come in white, yellow, purple and pink varieties, sometimes with stripes or spots.\u00a0 Despite their exotic appearance, they are easy to care for and thrive under reasonable home conditions.\u00a0 Best of all, they will survive nicely with a weekly, twenty-minute soak in a bowl of water.\u00a0 A semi-shaded outdoor vacation spot is nice for moth orchids, but not necessary.<\/font><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>For Those Who Want a Commitment-Free Plant Relationship\\<br \/>\n<\/font><\/font><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Paperwhites are available in either in kit form or pre-potted, and provide a taste of spring in mid-winter.\u00a0 If you want your gift to bloom within the next few weeks, buy pre-potted bulbs that already have buds atop the stems.\u00a0 Paperwhites come with only one caveat.\u00a0 Some people, like my daughter, find the smell more offensive than enticing.\u00a0 <strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/font><\/font><\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Amaryllis have become almost as popular as poinsettias for the holidays.\u00a0 Like paperwhites, they come either pre-potted, in kits, or as bulbs sold in bulk.\u00a0 If you have several people to buy for, purchase the bulbs in bulk and pot them up yourself in cheap but attractive holiday containers.\u00a0 They won&#8217;t bloom for several weeks, but will brighten things up after the holidays.\u00a0 Some people try to get amaryllis to rebloom, but often the second-year results are less impressive than the first year&#8217;s flush of bloom<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/font><\/font><\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Poinsettias have come a long way from the gawky Mexican plant named for nineteenth century diplomat Joel Poinsett.\u00a0 Now they are available in an almost infinite variety of sizes, colors and forms&#8211;from little red rose-form specimens to behemoths with bracts that look like pink and white linoleum.\u00a0 As long as the pots are watered when the soil feels dry, the colorful bracts will last a long time.\u00a0 Only the most dedicated plant lovers can get them to rebloom, a process that requires measured amounts of total darkness in the fall.\u00a0 Like amaryllis, poinsettias are best enjoyed during the festive season and composted thereafter.<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/font><\/font><\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Cyclamen and Azaleas: Both will provide up to a month of beautiful color.\u00a0 Under average indoor conditions, azaleas will most likely die thereafter.\u00a0 Cyclamen go dormant after the flowering period, at which time watering should stop until about September, when the blooming cycle commences again.\u00a0 Dormancy makes non-plant people impatient, so the vast majority of cyclamens are holiday ephemerals.<\/font><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Plant gifts are bright, happy and easy to give and receive.\u00a0 Matching the plant to the recipient will create a guilt-free holiday for both parties.\u00a0 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RIGHT PLANT: RIGHT RECIPIENT \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There are days when life is so laden with complications that my head feels like Humpty Dumpy after he took the great fall.\u00a0 Instead of wallowing in the pain, I do what any plant enthusiast would do&#8211;go to the garden center. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At this time of the year, plant merchandisers&#8217; &#8230; <a title=\"Right Plant: Right Recipient\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/right-plant-right-recipient\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Right Plant: Right Recipient\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general-interest","category-winter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=283"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1508,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283\/revisions\/1508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}