Here’s a list of houseplant gift-wrapping ideas to get you inspired!

If you’re set on giving a houseplant as a gift this year, it’s important to remember that gift-wrapping one will be vastly different than, say, something that is already in a box. Houseplants are living things that come in a pot of soil with drainage holes at the bottom. So gift-wrapping them without damaging the leaves, or keeping the soil contained, can be a bit of a challenge. Of course, you’ll also want your gift-wrapped houseplant to be stylish and mess-free for whoever you’re gifting it to.

1. Nestle the Plant in an Open Box with Tissue Paper

For a more straightforward, but just as beautiful approach, you could place the plant in an open box with tissue paper. This is beneficial if you happen to be gifting a houseplant that has particularly delicate leaves, and you’d like to avoid damaging the foliage. The first step is to pre-decorate or wrap a square box with festive wrapping paper, scrapbooking paper, or brown florist paper. If you’re gifting a smaller plant, a shoe box could be the perfect item to repurpose. Ideally, try to pick a box that isn’t much larger than your plants’ pot in order to prevent it from jostling around too much. Place the plant inside of the box, and stuff balled-up magazine or newspaper balls around it to secure the pot. Next, begin tucking in decorative tissue paper that matches the theme of your wrapped box to partially conceal the houseplant.

2. How to Wrap a Plant in Cellophane

Take a leaf from your florist’s book and use cellophane to wrap your plant gift. Similar to how stunning floral displays look wrapped in cellophane, your houseplant will as well. Besides being able to display your plant in its full glory, wrapping in cellophane will also keep the potting mix contained. Take a large sheet of cellophane and carefully wrap the houseplant, ensuring that the leaves have enough space to breathe. Fold the cellophane inwards, tuck in and tape the edges to the bottom of the pot to prevent any messes. Next, take wrapping paper or burlap for a more rustic look, and cover the bottom of the pot. Make sure to wrap your plant right before gifting, to ensure the plant isn’t cut off from its oxygen supply for too long.

3. Cover the Pot by Reusing a Cookie or Vintage Tin

Using a festive cookie tin as a cachepot could be a more green-friendly approach to gift-wrapping your houseplant. For those unfamiliar, a cachepot is a stylish container, slightly larger than the nursery pot the plant comes in, that you can use to cover up that unsightly plastic. They’re also useful when watering your plants, catching the excess water dribbling out of drainage holes. Presenting your houseplant as a gift in a Christmas-themed cachepot requires minimal work, and there’s nothing to be thrown away afterwards! Now’s the time to hit up the thrift store to search for festive or vintage cookie tins. Although any container that fits your plant could work as a cachepot, cookie tins are ideal because they’re typically more tall than shallow. Bring your measuring tape along to ensure the cookie tin you’ve found fits the pot! Sometimes nursery pots have a lip, preventing them from fitting snugly inside a cachepot. If that is the case, trim the pot lip back with a pair of scissors.

4. Wrap With Burlap and Twine

If it’s a more rustic look you’re after, wrapping the houseplant using burlap and twine is a stylish and practical approach. Burlap is also a material commonly used in the garden to keep plants warm throughout the winter time. It’s inexpensive and biodegradable, and best of all—it allows your plant to breathe while wrapped. To wrap your houseplant this way, set the plant in the center of a burlap square and fold the material upwards. Secure the burlap wrapping with twine, and tie it into a bow. You could consider adding several evergreen branches of pine, fir, or juniper (real or artificial) to create more of a festive vibe. Besides houseplants for gifting, which you’ll find well-stocked at our Garden Center, we also have a home decor department for additional Christmas gift options. Stop by Wallace’s Garden Center in Bettendorf to browse all of our holiday items!