Plants: A Great Valentine's Day Gift Idea

I have a green thumb that I occasionally let get out of control. I've taken over a considerable portion of the property with garden plots, the greenhouse looks like a jungle and I've moved a bunch of plants into the house. So a few times a year I make a commitment to clean out some space. I make the most grogress on Valentine's Day. There are lots of people that I love and plants make better Valentine's Day gifts than you think.

When You Want to Give the Gift of Love

Plants aren't for everyone. But for some, receiving a plant as a gift might be the beginning of a lifelong romance. I discovered my love for gardening when my Dad bought me my first packet of tomato seeds. I nursed them and watched them grow with an intensity and care that I'd never felt before.

I keep fall's seeds around and put them in decorative packets in February. I hand them out to the little Valentine's I know. They even make great gifts for classmates. They can start them indoors as soon as they get them and plant them out when the weather warms. For the grown-up Valentines in your life, you may be better of with an adult plant. Seeds are a great metaphor for growing love, but adult plants make more impressive gifts.

When You Don't Know What Else to Get

Valentine's Day can be awkward if you haven't quite hashed out your feelings for someone. Plants are great because you can say you're giving them for any number of reasons: you want them to keep a reminder of you around, you want to see your relationship grow or you want to give them a little more love in their life. Come up with a metaphor that's perfect for your relationship and you have a great, inexpensive gift that doesn't need wrapping.

When You Want to Go Green

Cut flowers are terrible for the environment. Shipping them from foreign countries pollutes the air. The intensive farming required to grow them taxes the resources and soil of third-world countries and steals water from people who need it more than the flowers do. A great alternative to cut flowers is a potted plant. The right species will produce beautiful flowers that will last more than a few days. And you can give a beautiful gift that you feel good about giving.

Choose the Right Plant

Not every potted plant or tree makes a great gift. Save showy, exotic species for someone that has lots of growing experience. Choose plants for less-experienced Valentines by growing ease. Ask the guy at the nursery to point out the plants that are hardest to kill. The ideal houseplant will grow well indoors or outdoors with nothing more than a little water and fertilizer. Certain species of cacti and succulents are even harder to kill.