- Dec. 11, 2022
4 Creative Ways to Wrap Houseplants For a Christmas Gift
Houseplants make great Christmas gifts. They bring greenery indoors and are also incredibly complementary to home decor. Indoor plants are also a thoughtful and long-lasting gift, as there is truly a plant out there for every personality and skill level!
That being said, gift wrapping a houseplant is considerably more challenging than wrapping something that comes in a box. Plants are living things that need oxygen, have sensitive leaves that can be damaged easily, and also come in a pot full of soil that can potentially create a mess.
1. Wrap the Houseplant in Cellophane
Taking inspiration from elegantly-wrapped floral displays, cellophane is a great choice to cover your houseplant in. It’s also the only gift wrapping option on this list that wraps the entire plant, leaves and all, so it will prevent the soil from spilling out of the pot.
Worth noting is that if you plan on using cellophane, the plant will be cut off from its oxygen supply, so make sure you wrap this gift last minute.
Take a large sheet of cellophane and gently wrap the top of the houseplant. Make sure you leave enough space for the leaves to breathe, and also prevent damage to the foliage. Fold the edges in and tape them to the bottom of the pot to seal in the soil. Next, wrap the pot in either wrapping paper or burlap and secure with string or tape.
2. Wrap the Houseplant in Paper
If you’d like to skip the cellophane step and opt for a more green-friendly route—you could wrap your gift plant in paper. Use festive wrapping paper, or even some patterned brown florist paper works as well.
Cut a large piece of paper into a square, set the plant in the middle, and use hot glue to seal two opposite edges to the top of the pot. Next, do the same for the last two edges of the square. Fold and tuck in the loose corners, as you would when wrapping presents, and secure with tape or hot glue.
You can also add a cute little gift tag to the houseplant—similar to how a wrapped present usually comes with a card. Pick up some wooden stakes from the dollar or craft store, glue a tag on top, write a festive message to the giftee, and stick it in the soil!
3. Wrap the Houseplant in an Open Box or Tin
If you plan on gifting a houseplant that has particularly sensitive foliage, you could wrap the houseplant in an open box with tissue paper.
Take a box or a tin that is ideally not much larger than your houseplant, and pre-decorate it with wrapping paper. Place the plant in the centre of the box, and fill the rest of the space with balled-up sheets of magazine or newspaper to secure it. Tuck in the tissue paper and fan it out artfully to conceal the pot.
4. Make a Hand Painted Terracotta Pot
If you enjoy getting crafty, you can hand-paint a terracotta pot to house your gift of greenery in. We recommend keeping the houseplant in its nursery pot to prevent stress to the plant, and leave repotting to the giftee. With this in mind, be sure to buy a terracotta pot slightly larger than the nursery pot.
Before getting out the paint, you’ll first have to prep the pot by cleaning it. Wash in warm water, giving it a good scrub with a pot brush. It’s important to clean your plant pot first, as painting on a surface with powder or residue will result in a lumpy texture. Next, fully dry the terracotta pot before starting to paint. The drying process can take one or two days, but putting them in the sun can speed it up a bit.
We suggest that you use acrylic paint for your terracotta pot. After you’ve finished painting, use a spray sealer to protect your work, choosing from a clear gloss or a clear matte finish.
Come visit our Garden Centre in Powell River, which also doubles as a home decor and pet supplies store, to pick up Christmas gifts for all the people (and fur babies) in your life!