最適合作為禮物的植物

最適合作為禮物的植物

Giving a gift that will stand the test of time is always a challenge, but giving plants is one way to try. Whatever type of plant you choose, it's sure to last longer than cut flowers will, and often costs the same (or less) than a nice arrangement from the florist. In fact, many houseplants can cost in the $15-$20 range, while a large bouquet is often twice that.

送一份經(jīng)得起時間考驗(yàn)的禮物總是一種挑戰(zhàn)，但送植物是一種嘗試。無論你選擇什么類型的植物，它肯定會比剪下來的花更耐久，而且通?；ㄙM(fèi)和花店的漂亮布置一樣(或更少)。事實(shí)上，許多室內(nèi)植物的價格在15- 20美元之間，而一大束花的價格通常是這個價格的兩倍。

A plant can be a lovely gift idea that will bring joy to the person who receives it for years—if you choose it with care. (Photo: everything possible/Shutterstock)

The most important thing to consider when giving a plant as a gift is where it will live; if you know that your friend's place is really bright and sunny, and she likes to keep the heat going all winter (meaning it's generally dry), then a plant that naturally grows in that environment makes the most sense — like a succulent. If the person you're gifting has a cool home with a couple bright windows, but no direct sun, an orchid is probably a better choice. Succulents naturally grow in desert-like environments, and orchids grow in damp forests.

送植物作為禮物時，最重要的是要考慮它將在哪里生長;如果你知道你朋友住的地方陽光充足，而且她喜歡整個冬天都保持暖氣(這意味著通常是干燥的)，那么在那種環(huán)境下自然生長的植物就最有意義了——就像多肉植物一樣。如果你送禮物的人有一個很酷的家，有兩扇明亮的窗戶，但沒有陽光直射，蘭花可能是更好的選擇。肉質(zhì)植物自然生長在類似沙漠的環(huán)境中，蘭花生長在潮濕的森林中。

Here are a few ideas to get you started; all of these plants are fairly easy to keep alive and look lovely. You don't need to wrap them, a simple bow is enough, or you can always put them inside a paper bag with a bow on the top if you want to keep the gift under wraps.

這里有一些想法，讓你開始;所有這些植物都很容易養(yǎng)活，看起來很可愛。你不需要把它們包起來，一個簡單的蝴蝶結(jié)就足夠了，或者你可以把它們放在一個紙袋里，如果你想把禮物包起來的話，再在袋子的頂部打一個蝴蝶結(jié)。

Thanksgiving (or Christmas) cactus

感恩節(jié)(或圣誕節(jié))仙人掌

Christmas cactuses bloom in a variety of warm-toned colors, from red to bright pink, pale pink, peach and white. (Photo: Nadezhda Nesterova/Shutterstock)

This is one of those plants that's available widely, especially during the holiday season because it blooms at or around the Thanksgiving to Christmas season. (Mine usually bloom at Thanksgiving and then have another mini-bloom a couple weeks later.) Technically a succulent, this plant needs a bright (but not hot) window to live in — it definitely needs a fair amount of light, but likes to stay relatively cool at the same time. So a window that's not near or above a heater is ideal. Because it's a succulent, it doesn't need constant watering, though it likes a bit more water just before it blooms and during the time it flowers.

這種植物很常見，尤其是在節(jié)日期間，因?yàn)樗诟卸鞴?jié)或圣誕節(jié)前后開花。(我的通常在感恩節(jié)開花，然后幾周后再開花。)從技術(shù)上講，這種植物是多肉植物，它需要一個明亮(但不熱)的窗戶來居住——它當(dāng)然需要相當(dāng)數(shù)量的光線，但同時又喜歡保持相對涼爽。所以靠近或高于加熱器的窗戶是最理想的。因?yàn)樗嵌嘀参铮圆恍枰?jīng)常澆水，盡管它在開花前和開花期間喜歡多喝點(diǎn)水。

Orchids

蘭花

Even though they have a deserved reputation for being temperamental, orchids can do just fine inside your home. (Photo: Roger Mommaerts [CC BY-SA 2.0]/Flickr)

These gorgeous plants aren't as difficult to care for as many people think; those available commercially have been bred to be relatively hardy. They don't need to be kept at tropical temperatures by any means (and in fact, orchids' natural habitat is in the breezy and cool-at-night elevated habitat of upper tree branches, where they often grow in the y between two branches). So keeping one alive throughout it's naturally long blooming cycle, when most of them are sold, is fairly easy. A half-cup of water once a week or so is plenty; their strange roots like to keep moist, but not wet.

這些美麗的植物并不像很多人想象的那么難照顧;市場上可以買到的那些已經(jīng)被培育得相對耐寒。它們不需要在熱帶溫度下保存(事實(shí)上，蘭花的自然棲息地是在微風(fēng)吹拂、夜間涼爽的高處樹枝上的棲息地，它們通常生長在兩根樹枝之間的y軸上)。所以在它們自然生長的漫長周期里，當(dāng)它們大部分被賣掉的時候，讓它們存活下來是相當(dāng)容易的。每周澆半杯水就足夠了;它們奇怪的根喜歡保持濕潤，但不潮濕。

Paperwhite, narcissus

多花水仙

Paperwhites are as easy to care for as cut flowers, but they last a lot longer. (Photo: Roy_TeamV/Shutterstock)

Paperwhites are an ideal gift for someone who isn't interested in keeping a plant long-term. In addition, these will still last a lot longer than cut flowers. These pretty, lightly scented flowers come from bulbs that are planted in all kinds of shallow media (pebbles or earth, depending on the look you're going for) and "forced" to bloom out of season. Their bulbs/roots need to be kept relatively damp, but once they are blooming, they'll do alright as long as they have some light. And if you or your giftee are so inclined, these bulbs can be replanted in the ground after they have run their course — though due to the stress of forcing some may die.

對于那些對長期種植不感興趣的人來說，多花水仙是一個理想的禮物。此外，這些花會比剪下來的花持續(xù)更長的時間。這些漂亮的、有淡淡的香味的花朵來自于種植在各種淺層介質(zhì)中的球莖(鵝卵石或泥土，取決于你想要的外觀)，“被迫”在淡季開花。它們的鱗莖/根部需要保持相對濕潤，但一旦開花，只要有光照就行了。如果你或你的受贈人有這樣的意愿，這些球莖可以在它們走完自己的路后重新種植在地里——盡管由于強(qiáng)迫的壓力有些可能會死亡。