8 Classic, Festive Houseplants To Gift—And How To Care For Them

The holiday season has arrived, and the plant sections of stores are full of holiday plants—like poinsettias—that get scooped up to find a moment of holiday glory on a Christmas mantle, as part of a festive centrepiece or given as gifts. But there are other plants, too, to consider for a pop of holiday colour or to give as gifts.

With proper care and a few simple hacks, most will last throughout the year as indoor houseplants—and even to bloom again in time for next year’s festivities. Below, we've rounded up the best houseplants to gift this holiday season.

The best houseplants to gift for Christmas

Christmas cactus

Sometimes called a crab cactus because its long stems resemble a crab’s legs, the Christmas cactus’ festive flowers come in festive shades of red, pink and even lilac.

The plant prefers to be kept away from direct sunlight and heat sources. It should be watered every 2 to 3 weeks and only when the top one third of the soil feels dry to the touch.

Getting a Christmas cactus to bloom again depends on light and temperature. It needs 16 hours of dark and eight hours of light for eight days to form buds. It’s important that the cycle is not disturbed, so keeping the plant in a dark room away from a window helps. Not too cold or too hot—an optimal 15-17 C is ideal. Once buds begin to form, move the plant back into its original location.

When well taken care of, a Christmas cactus can live for ten years or more as a thriving houseplant!

Rosemary

During the Middle Ages, it was believed that smelling rosemary’s sweet scent on Christmas Eve would bring a new year of health and happiness. It's the perfect hostess or holiday housewarming gift.

Rosemary is now often found in garden centres and big box stores shaped like a tiny holiday tree. When placed in a bright, sunny location, it can be kept for several years as a houseplant. It thrives on a sunny windowsill.

Water your rosemary plant every 1 to 2 weeks or when the soil feels dry to the touch. It's an upside down plant, meaning it also absorbs moisture through the air. The best way to water the plant is to keep it on a drainage tray of water and pebbles or gently spritzing it with water once a week.

Add it to your holiday bar cart for a touch of green that doubles as a cocktail ingredient.

Norfolk island pine

Norfolk island pine (also called araucaria heterophylla) is not actually a pine tree at all. It’s a tropical houseplant related to the striking monkey puzzle tree. Its soft, pine-like green branches are perfect for hanging small ornaments during the holidays.

A forgiving plant, it prefers a sunny location but will tolerate dim light on a temporary basis. It enjoys a drink of water every 1 to 2 weeks and will tell you when it’s thirsty. If the container is heavy when lifted it doesn’t need water; if it’s light and the branches are sagging, it's time to water it.

As a houseplant, the Norfolk Island Pine will sit happily throughout the year in a bright corner, waiting every holiday season to double as an environmentally friendly potted Christmas tree. During the summer, take it outside to a warm-but-shady spot on a patio or front porch. Once temperatures drop at night, bring it in as it doesn’t like being cold.

Orchids

As a symbol of prosperity, good health, friendship, and well wishes an orchid makes a wonderful holiday gift. Available in sizes ranging from large to miniature and in a multitude of colours, an orchid’s exotic blooms will last through the season. The plant is non-toxic to pets and will bloom again and again.

After the holidays, the plant will need some TLC to re-bloom. To keep it healthy, cut the stalk down to 2.5 cm above the healthiest green node (small bump) on it when flowers fade. If the stalk is brown, cut it off at its base.

An orchid’s rest period can last from two to nine months. During this time, water sparingly and only when the soil feels dry, Keep the plant cool, around 16°C and in a room with windows but no artificial lighting. It’s important to follow the natural cycle of light and darkness to inspire re-blooming. Over time, protrusions of new growth should begin to appear from the intact node, or a new stalk emerge from the base of the plant followed by buds and blossoms.

Once the buds are fully formed, move the plant back to the main living space.

Cyclamen

This indoor houseplant is easily found in the florist sections of most stores. Its green-and-white veined leaves are the bedrock to five petalled flowers that face upwards—reminiscent of butterflies in flight.

Indoor cyclamen plants prefers a cool location, indirect light and to be watered when the soil is dry to the touch. Unlike other plants, which grow from spring to fall, cyclamen grows during the fall to spring months, blooming in November through to January. This makes it the perfect holiday plant.

Often treated as a one-time bloomer and discarded after the flowers droop, it’s worth keeping—because with a little TLC, the florist's cyclamen will re-bud.

As summer approaches the leaves will turn yellow and die back. Stop watering and place the now dormant plant in a cool, semi-dark location. Let it sit for about eight weeks. At the first signs of new growth, give the plant a thorough watering, place it back in its original spot and resume normal care. In a few weeks new leaves should start to grow along with flower buds.

Amaryllis

Grown from a giant bulb that can be bought and planted in early fall, amaryllis are often available in full bloom for the holiday season. Thick stalks hold up enormous flowers that resemble lilies. Blooms range from red to blush pink, and amaryllis provides elegant drama to the season’s festivities.

While blooming, keep the plant cool (between 15 to 17°C) and away from direct sunlight. The protruding bulb and stalks need to stay dry and the soil around them watered just enough to be moistened (about once a week).

After the flowers fade, the bulb can be preserved to bloom again next year. Cut the stalk off, but not the leaves. They revitalize the bulb’s blooming cycle. Keep the flowerless plant in a sunny location, and continue watering. The more sun it gets during that time, the bigger its new blooms will be. At the end of August stop watering, and let the leaves die back. Place the dormant bulb in a cool dark place for 8 weeks.

Thanksgiving is a good time to move it back to a sunny warm spot and to start watering the soil around the bulb. In 6-8 weeks, new flower heads will appear, just in time for the holidays.

Frosty fern

This plant is not a fern, but a variety of spike moss—which actually isn’t a moss at all. Its delicate green leaves and white creamy tips of new growth earn it the name frosty.

This unique-looking plant doesn’t like being too cold or too hot—anywhere between 15 to 27°C is ideal. For a holiday look, skip nitrogen fertilizer as it turn the plant's tips green, losing their trademark white.

It does best in very humid conditions, which are often hard to mimic during the winter when the air is dry. You can keep its container on top of a tray of pebbles filled with water or in a terrarium to give it the humidity it needs.

With the right care, a frosty fern can thrive and live for years as a houseplant.

Poinsettia

Nothing says Christmas plants like poinsettias. The colourful holiday staple can be found in red, pink and white, but it's much more than a throwaway plant gift.

While in bloom, poinsettias love semi-cool locations, lots of water and bright, indirect lighting condition. It’s important for their containers to drain well so their roots aren’t overwatered. Once the flowers die and the leaves turn green, a poinsettia makes a great year-round houseplant that may turn red or pink or white again for next year’s festivities.

Poinsettias bloom naturally in sub-tropical regions when the days are short and the nights long. For the plant to bloom again, these conditions need to be mimicked. At the beginning of October, put the plant in a cool place that has light for 10 hours a day and total darkness for 14 hours. Water sparingly, and in about four weeks, the leaves will start to colour in. In eight weeks, their transformation will be complete, and the poinsettia can reclaim its place in your holiday decor.

Originally published in 2021, updated in 2023.