The Best Plants to Give as Gifts: 10 Living Gifts That Last

Flowers are lovely, but they're over in a week. A plant is a gift that keeps growing, and it reminds someone of you every time they water it.

The trick is choosing the right plant for the right person. A busy friend in a flat needs something very different from a keen gardener with a sunny patio. Here are ten of the best plants to give as gifts, and who they suit best. You'll find all of them, and more, in our plant gifts.

Gifts for Someone Without a Garden

A houseplant is the perfect gift for a flat, an office or a first home. Choose the planter on the product page, and the plant is potted into your chosen planter before it ships.

1. Peace Lily

Glossy leaves and elegant white flowers make the peace lily one of the best flowering houseplants to give. It copes with lower light, and it even tells you when it's thirsty by drooping, then perks up within hours of watering.

Best for: anyone who'd like flowers that last. Keep it in a warm room, above about 12°C.

2. ZZ Plant

If you're not sure how green-fingered someone is, give them a ZZ plant. It's one of the toughest houseplants there is, happy in low light, and it stores water in its roots, so it doesn't mind being forgotten for a while.

Best for: busy people, first-time plant owners and darker rooms.

3. Snake Plant

With its upright, sword-shaped leaves, the snake plant looks smart in any room and needs very little attention. It's happy in low, medium or bright light, and only needs watering when its compost has dried right out.

Best for: a stylish, low-fuss gift for a home or office.

4. Monstera

The Swiss cheese plant is the statement houseplant everyone recognises, with big, glossy, split leaves. A larger Monstera makes a real impact as a housewarming gift.

Best for: a bright room with space to fill. Keep it above about 12°C.

5. Variegated Rubber Plant

The rubber plant 'Tineke' has big, glossy leaves marbled in cream, green and soft pink. It's an easy, striking plant that grows into a handsome indoor tree.

Best for: someone who wants something a little different. Give it a bright spot out of direct midday sun, and wipe the leaves now and then.

Gifts for Keen Gardeners

6. Olive Tree

An olive tree brings a Mediterranean feel to a sunny patio, with silvery leaves all year. A mini olive suits a small space, while a young tree or bushy tree makes a bigger statement.

Best for: a sunny, sheltered patio. Olives hate cold, wet compost more than frost, so a pot with good drainage is the way to grow one. See our olive tree care guide.

7. Bay Tree

A clipped bay tree standard looks smart by a front door, and the leaves can be picked for cooking all year. It's a gift that's both beautiful and useful.

Best for: keen cooks and anyone with a front door to dress. Bay is hardy in most of Britain, but potted bays like shelter from cold, drying winds.

8. Lemon or Calamondin Tree

A Meyer lemon or calamondin orange tree has glossy leaves, sweetly scented flowers and colourful fruit, and one tree can fruit on its own.

Best for: someone with a conservatory, porch or bright, cool room. Citrus trees need to be indoors in a bright, frost-free place from about October to May, and can go outside for the summer. See our citrus tree care guide.

9. Japanese Maple

A red-leaved Japanese maple is one of the most beautiful small trees you can grow in a pot, with delicate leaves and wonderful autumn colour.

Best for: a sheltered patio or garden in partial shade. They're fully hardy, but cold wind and late frost can brown the young spring leaves.

10. Patio Rose

A compact, repeat-flowering patio rose in red, pink, white or orange is a classic gift, and it will flower again every summer. Patio roses are happy in a pot for years.

Best for: a sunny patio or doorstep. Roses are fully hardy, so they can stay outside all year.

Ready-Planted Gifts

For a gift that needs nothing doing to it, our milk churn planters come ready planted with lavender, rosemary or winter colour such as cyclamen, pansies and ivy. Just find them a spot outside. Browse them in our plant gifts.

How to Choose the Right Plant Gift

• Think about the light. For a darker flat or office, choose a ZZ plant, snake plant or peace lily. For a bright room or conservatory, a Monstera or a citrus tree.
• Think about the space. A small houseplant suits a desk or shelf. A larger plant or a patio tree needs room to grow.
• Think about how much care they'll give it. If they're busy or new to plants, a ZZ plant or snake plant is the safest choice.
• Think about pets. Many houseplants, including peace lilies, ZZ plants, snake plants and Monstera, are harmful to cats and dogs if eaten, and so are citrus trees. Each product page tells you what to know about pets.

Every plant is checked by hand before it's packed, in an FSC-certified recycled cardboard box with fitted paper-pulp inserts to hold it steady.

Plant Gifts: Your Questions Answered

What is the best plant to give as a gift?

For someone without a garden, a peace lily, ZZ plant or snake plant is easy and long-lasting. For a gardener, an olive tree, bay tree, citrus tree or patio rose makes a lovely gift.

What plant is hardest to kill?

The ZZ plant and snake plant are two of the toughest houseplants. They cope with low light and don't mind being forgotten now and then.

Can I send a houseplant in a decorative pot?

Yes. Choose the planter on the product page, and the plant is potted into your chosen planter before it ships.

Are houseplants safe for pets?

Many popular houseplants are harmful to cats and dogs if eaten. Check the product page for each plant, and keep plants out of reach of curious pets.

A Gift That Keeps Growing

Whether it's a peace lily for a friend's new flat or an olive tree for a keen gardener, a plant is a gift that lasts for years. Browse all our plant gifts to find the right one.

We pick every grower ourselves, and every plant is checked by hand before it's packed.