Plant gift ideas?

Question

My boyfriends birthday is coming up soon and he loves taking care of hard to grow plants. I was considering getting him a bonsai tree but im worried that it would be too costly to grow, seeing as i would need to help buy him supplies & tools and im on a budget. He likes to work with carnivorious plants as well and hes not really into flowers unless their spectacular or unusual in someway.

I need ideas for a plant gift that wont be costly.

Answer 1

THERE ARE SO-CALLED "CARNIVOROUS" PLANTS, LIKE THE ONES CALLED "PITCHER PLANTS".

They are hard to care for, and not TOO EXPENSIVE.

There is a variety to choose from, from a couple of centimeters tall to several decimeters.

Answer 2

Bonsai, whether it's indoor or outdoor, isn't really more expensive to maintain than a standard plant. The original plant may be more expensive because of the grower's expense getting it going. I have a friend who has been developing one for 20+ years. This site has lots of ideas and care info, too.

http://www.american-bonsai.com

Answer 3

Buying him a bonsai would certainly be nice, but you must be very careful of where you purchase it. What many larger stores (Home Depot, WalMart, etc.) sell as "bonsai" are either not a suitable tree for the purpose or are a poorly designed mass-produced tree - usually with incorrect growing instructions. You should purchase a tree from a reputable bonsai nursery. They are not costly to grow, as you don't need much in the way of specialized tools when just starting out. Here is a good supplier to browse if you are considering a tree -  http://www.meehansminiatures.com/

Carnivorous plants also can be very interesting. Again be careful with where you buy.

Heres a good dealer - they have very nice "collections" of carnivorous plants - http://www.californiacarnivores.com/inde...

If your boyfriend appreciates his plants, I'm sure he would be happy with anything you bought from either of these companies. For people who really get into this hobby, quality is important.

Answer 4

How about a sweet potato?  They are cheap, easy to get at the grocery store and don't need any tools.  Mine had purple leaves and flowers on vines 20 feet long in a few months.  Below is a website telling how to tell a sweet potato from a yam, which is nice but not pretty like a sweet potato.

This is what they say about how to grow it.  I would add that it is best to attach the vines to something because they will get heavy enough to tip over most jars.  Also some are sprayed with stuff to keep them from sprouting so look for one that says organic.

"To grow a sweet potato vine, use a jar with an opening that will support it. Place the sweet potato in a jar of water with its narrow end down. Put the jar in a warm, dark place and keep the jar filled with water. New roots will start to grow, and in about 10 days, the stem will start to grow. As soon as this happens, put the jar in a sunny window. As the vine grows, it can be left to trail or trained to climb."

Bonsais do cost a lot and they are very fragile.  In the summer some need watering several times a day.

If you want a really hard to keep plant, get him a lithop.