Valentine’s Gift Plants

Laurel Aiello | Fort Collins Nursery

Every Valentine’s Day, shoppers flood the grocery store in search of the perfect flower bouquet to show their special someone how much they care. There’s a reason people choose to say “I love you” with flowers: they represent the beautiful things in life that are best seen and felt rather than said. But what if they lasted longer than a week and could brighten your sweetheart’s days for years to come? Instead of cut flowers, give these blooming houseplants for Valentine’s Day this year: 

ANTHURIUM

The anthurium is one of the most popular Valentine’s Day plants, with glossy heart-shaped flowers in shades of pink and red. Not only do they look romantic, but they bloom year-round and are very easy to care for. Anthuriums thrive in bright indirect light and prefer to go at least halfway dry between waterings, making them a great choice for both novices and seasoned plant parents.

“SWEETHEART” HOYA 

Succulent lovers will swoon at the Hoya kerrii, a vining hoya variety with heart-shaped leaves and small clusters of sweet-smelling, whitish-pink flowers. The sweetheart hoya has solid green leaves or green leaves with yellow variegation (sp. Hoya kerrii “Variegata”) and comes as a vining plant or as a single leaf propagation in soil. The leaf propagations won’t vine; they’ll remain as a little heart in a pot. Either way, these easy Valentine’s plants require very bright light and need to dry out almost completely between watering. 

“RED VALENTINE” CHINESE EVERGREEN

Aptly named for its dark pink variegation, the Red Valentine Chinese evergreen is the perfect gift for your loved one on Valentine’s Day. These plants are very easy to care for and prefer to go almost completely dry between waterings. They can tolerate medium indirect light and will flower in brighter light, sending up an elegant white spike that contrasts against the reddish foliage. Other pink Chinese evergreens include the “Wishes” and “Pink Dalmatian” varieties, so there are plenty of festive options to choose from. 

ORCHID

Another houseplant that radiates romance is the orchid. These tropical beauties have been given as gifts for centuries across many different cultures, representing love, prosperity, and wealth. There are many different types of orchids, with the Phalaenopsis (or “moth orchid”) being the most common and beginner-friendly variety. More complex species, such as Cattleyas, Oncidiums, Dendrobiums, Paphiopedilums, and Vandas, are great gifts for orchid collectors. 

Orchids have a reputation for being hard to care for, but really it comes down to providing them with a bright, humid environment and soaking them rather than watering from the top (never, ever, place ice cubes on the roots). If gifting an orchid with a pot, have the recipient wait to repot the orchid until it is done blooming, otherwise it will likely drop its flowers and buds. 

COLORFUL HOUSEPLANTS

Ultimately, any colorful houseplant can be a unique and thoughtful Valentine’s Day gift for the plant lover in your life. Plants with pink or red flowers, such as bromeliads, kalanchoes, azaleas, and African violets, are particularly stunning, and houseplants with pink foliage (like the nerve plant) also convey feelings of love while being easy to care for. No matter which plant you choose, it’s sure to last longer than any cut flower arrangement—and certainly longer than a box of chocolates.