Indoor Plant Dynamics, Make and Design Gifts

There are many species and varieties of indoor plants, and proper plant selection is a common problem faced by all beginners learning indoor gardening. Even some more experienced, indoor gardeners have plant selection problems. This brief introduction to indoor plants will help anyone with an interest and desire to select or design gift indoor plantings.

Best Indoor Plants for Beginners’ Gifts and Growing

There are indoor plants for novices that are difficult to injure or kill, and except for abject and almost total neglect, many of these plants survive and prosper with minimal care. Indoor plants for novices require minimal water and fertilizer, and with proper light each plant will grow to please. Here are some best indoor plant favorites:

• Snake Plant, or “Mother’s-In-Law Tongue”, (Sansevieria spp.), elongate, thick-leaved plants that range from long-leaved species to stout, compact, newer dwarf, varieties. Snake plants have minimal light and water needs.
• Pony-tail Palm, (Beaucarnia recurvata), is a beautiful, showy, small to larger plant with a distinctive, bulbous base that grows in width and height as the plant matures. Plants are stately and regal in appearance, and they require only moderate light with minimal water.
• Ivy, (Hedera spp.), many different and varieties here, minimal light and water. Ivy grows well on trellises, or hanging over the edges of pots and trailing downward. Many beautiful and spellbinding ivy arrangements are possible.
• Philodendron spp., an easy-to-grow and cultivate plant that requires minimal light and water.
• “Lucky Bamboo” (Dracaena sanderiana), is not really a bamboo, yet it certainly looks like one. This plant is usually obtained in a water container with pebbles or rocks, but soil containers work well.
• “Cast-iron” plant, (Aspidistra eliator), needs only a little light and water; long, showy, dark leaves. Low light and minimal watering is best for these beautiful plants.
• Jade, (Crassula argentea),: A succulent that resists drying and is an easy-care plant.
• Fig, (Ficus), Tropical, subtropical; different types include weeping figs, dwarf, and larger varieties.
• Cacti, with many varieties and types these succulents are easily planted and grown in sand and gravel with good drainage. They prefer bright light or sun, and do well with minimal water. A great plant for a sunny window. Spines ward off animals and children, so be careful here.

Indoor Plant Design and Gift Pot and Container Choices

Pots and containers complement and create the ultimate beauty of the indoor plant. Whether to be kept, sold, or gifted, beautiful plants in so-so, or poor, pots and containers just do not work well — almost in the same way as Cinderella in regal dress and crown riding in a pumpkin coach makes no sense. Therefore, it is important to select the plant and the container well. Sometimes, a beautiful plant can be transplanted into a new container that is available or purchased. It is good for indoor gardeners to have a modest inventory of different types and sizes of pots and containers for plant design and gifts. Additional potting soil is useful when transplanting from a smaller to a larger pot or container. The photos below show some simple indoor plants in attractive plant pots and containers.

Indoor Plant Care and Maintenance

Care and maintenance of indoor plants is simple. Each plant type and container requires minimal, but regular care. Here are important ideas:

• Light. Make sure that it is an amount appropriate for the plant. Modest amounts of light work for almost all plants, and natural or artificial light works well in most instances.
• Water. Watering once a week usually suffices for most plants, and over-watering is usually more harmful than under-watering plants. Drainage is the usual rule of thumb, and a drain hole in the bottom of the pot should drain into a reservoir, or water catch basin to prevent damage to wood floors or carpeting.
• Fertilizer. Light fertilization every 3 to 6 months is sufficient. Over-fertilization of plants may kill the plant or cause rapid, ungainly plant growth in some cases.

Consider an indoor plant for someone who loves plants.

Sources

Schrock, Denny. Editor. 2005. Miracle-Gro Guide to Healthy House Plants. Meredith Books, Des Moines, Iowa

Wright, Michael. Editor. 1979. The Complete Indoor Gardener. Random House, New York