Sure, a dozen red roses are awesome for your honey on Valentine’s Day, but then again, they’re also rather traditional. If your special someone loves plants, these unexpected options will say I love you symbolically. And the bonus? They won’t immediately wilt and die.
Hottie Houseplants
Anthurium – These exotic flowering houseplants have shiny leaves topped with showy, heart-shaped pink, red, or white blooms. They bloom almost all year long if they get enough light, fertilizer, and moisture.
Bridal veil – This perennial takes its name from its tiny, cascading white flowers (which resembles a bridal veil), and are often displayed as a hanging plant. The leaves add a special touch, as they are olive green on top and purple underneath. It can be kept indoors in winter, and then moved outdoors through the summer.
Heartleaf philodendron – This fool-proof house plant thrives with indirect light and very little maintenance. They are often grown in hanging baskets, which allow the thin stems and heart-shaped leaves to beautifully spill out of over the edges.
String of hearts – Also known as Rosary vine, this funky plant is full of personality. A native of Africa, it grows a string of heart-shaped leaves and makes an excellent houseplant, requiring minimal care.
Purple heart – This cheery splash of purple foliage can be used outdoors during the growing season, but also makes an easy houseplant any time of the year.
Passionate Perennials and Annuals
If your true love can’t wait to get their hands in the dirt this spring, consider gifting an IOU that can be redeemed for a gorgeous plant once the weather warms up. Here are some ideas that are sure to spark some romance simply from their names. Let’s start with perennials:
Bleeding hearts – This beauty features arching stems of delicate, heart-shaped flowers in the spring. It thrives in moist woodland gardens, along with ferns and other shade-lovers.
Cupids’ dart – An easy to grow plant, these perky blue daisies are great splashes of color in any flowerbed, offering contrast and unexpected interest.
Passion flowers – A generous vine, you’ll enjoy daily blooms over a long season, and many make great houseplants.
Hosta ‘Love Pat’ – One of the best blue hostas, this vigorous plant has puckered blue leaves that will perform well in shade to almost three quarters sun in the garden.
If you prefer annuals, take a look at these aptly-named lovelies:
Heartsease – This particular European wild flower has lots of names, including: Viola, heartsease; heart’s ease; heart’s delight; tickle-my-fancy; Jack-jump-up-and-kiss-me; come-and-cuddle-me; three faces in a hood; or love-in-idleness. Whew! Its three-colored faces are closely related to pansies and violets.
Love-lies-bleeding – These striking plants are covered with very long, rope-like flowers that are a deep, brilliant red color. A good seed producer, too, it’s a very old heirloom (a pre-1700 variety) that was and continues to be very popular.
Love-in-a-mist – Finely cut divided threadlike bracts form the “mist” surrounding these jewel-like flowers. The blooms typically range from a bright blue to a very pale blue, but sometimes may be white, pink, or lavender.
Love-in-a-puff – This tropical to sub-tropical vine has tiny white flowers and green papery fruits that are similar to tomatillos. The vine is a heat lover, and is often seen over a fence or trellis.
Love apple – The French called the tomato the pomme d’amour, or The Love Apple, for their belief that the exotic tomato had aphrodisiac powers. Tomatoes might not be responsible for romance in people, but eating tomatoes does seem to spark a lust for more tomatoes.
While these plants can serve as a creative Valentine’s Day gift, if you want to really impress your love, consider new landscaping. This could include everything from a rock garden or patio, to a water element or all of the above. Give us a call – we can help you create an outdoor space that will keep on giving for years to come.