Do you really need swoon-worthy reasons to gift a live plant on Valentine’s Day? If you do, and you aren’t yet convinced that there are any, please read on. Often times cut flowers, teddy bears, and candies make it to the top of the list for Valentine’s Day purchases, just to later watch the flowers die, the teddy bear collects dust and the candies single-handedly wipe out all diet willpower. That just doesn’t sound very loving at all. It’s all so very temporary. Love should be everlasting. As should the gifts that are given for that occasion. Read on to find all the reasons you will ever need to buy a living plant for your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day.
Cost
Roses and cut flowers are very expensive and only last a week or two at most. The average cost in 2023 will be $75. You can buy a nice tree for that and it will still be living long after the roses have faded. A fruit tree is almost half that cost and it will bear fruit in the future for your love. How sweet is that? The same amount of money and you can have a gift that can last a lifetime.
Decorative Addition
Plants can add value to a landscape. Also, they can really spruce up an interior space. It is a proven fact that plants around the living space help to fight off depression and other mood disorders, whether you sit them on a window sill or on a table or even hang them from the ceiling. Just having them around to brighten a winter day can make you smile. Some people who are natural caretakers may really enjoy having them around to care for.
Detox
House plants have long been used for their ability to remove toxins from the air. You heard me right, they actually clean the air around you. They take the toxins out of the air and use that as fuel for growth and then they release it back out as oxygen. And, while they are cleaning the air you breathe, they are using what they exhale for their benefit. So, living with plants can be a simpatico relationship.
Stress Reduction
Oh my! Stress reduction sounds like a really good reason to buy rooted plants rather than cut flowers to me! But, there are scientific studies that show that people who were in spaces with plants had fewer depression and mood disorder symptoms. High blood pressure was reduced and general happiness was elevated. Not just houseplants though, the same results came from outdoor spaces, such as botanical gardens, which also proved to increase serotonin levels in the human brain.
Sharing
Most plants can be propagated. This means you can use seeds that are produced by the plant or cuttings from the plant to start new ones. Then they can be passed on to more people and spread the love. They can be shared with family or friends or even given to neighbors and church family. It is the same with fruit trees. Once they start to bear fruit, you can share with everyone that the harvest will allow. So in a sense, you would be giving the gift that keeps on giving for generations to come.
Style
It doesn’t matter what your sweetheart’s style is, you will find a plant tree or shrub to match it. for a romantic, maybe a gardenia or a pink knockout rose? Kind of wild and firey? Why not a firepower nandina? Sweet and loving? Maybe a fruit tree or a berry bush or vine? Perhaps they rent. If so, there are a wide variety of shrubs that can be grown in pots. Or, this would be the perfect recipient of a beautiful houseplant. No matter what you decide, there is something that will be perfect and unique, just like they are.
Add-ins
Suppose your sweetheart loves to spend time in the kitchen, maybe a few potted herbs would be exactly what is called for in this gift-giving recipe. Fresh herbs are wildly popular with cooks and bakers that are coming about right now. Lavender, oregano, sage, parsley, and thyme, are all very aromatic as well. So, maybe get to know them a little better by paying attention to what they use most in the kitchen and give a thoughtful gift of herbs. No doubt they will be surprised that you noticed. Brownie points!!!
Ease of Care
Your love may not have a green thumb. That is why we have succulents for around the house or even outside. Maybe a succulent is ready to accept the challenge of living with your one and only. Who knows, if they manage to keep a plant alive for at least a year, maybe next year a fish! Succulents need very little attention. so start there. Then move on to something a bit more herbaceous later.
Local Support
If you decide to go with something rooted, you should consider shopping locally. Then, if you aren’t going to plant a tree or shrub for them, consider hiring a local landscaper. It is great for the community and your local revenue. Plants can be found in a local family-owned garden center, nursery, or greenhouse.
Your special someone will thank you and every time they look at whatever rooted beauty you decided on, they will think about how much thought you put into that particular gift and will always remember your love. Now, if that person is a phase, go for hellebore and daisies!
Save a true love the sadness of watching cut flowers die, chocolate that disappears, only to reappear on the rear, and teddybears just get in the way and are eventually tossed aside or handed down to a child. For rooted plants, trees, and shrub,s none of that stuff applies.
Think green, not money!
Happy Gift Giving!
