最适合作为礼物的植物

最适合作为礼物的植物

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.

送一份经得起时间考验的礼物总是一种挑战，但送植物是一种尝试。无论你选择什么类型的植物，它肯定会比剪下来的花更耐久，而且通常花费和花店的漂亮布置一样(或更少)。事实上，许多室内植物的价格在15- 20美元之间，而一大束花的价格通常是这个价格的两倍。

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.

送植物作为礼物时，最重要的是要考虑它将在哪里生长;如果你知道你朋友住的地方阳光充足，而且她喜欢整个冬天都保持暖气(这意味着通常是干燥的)，那么在那种环境下自然生长的植物就最有意义了——就像多肉植物一样。如果你送礼物的人有一个很酷的家，有两扇明亮的窗户，但没有阳光直射，兰花可能是更好的选择。肉质植物自然生长在类似沙漠的环境中，兰花生长在潮湿的森林中。

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.

这里有一些想法，让你开始;所有这些植物都很容易养活，看起来很可爱。你不需要把它们包起来，一个简单的蝴蝶结就足够了，或者你可以把它们放在一个纸袋里，如果你想把礼物包起来的话，再在袋子的顶部打一个蝴蝶结。

Thanksgiving (or Christmas) cactus

感恩节(或圣诞节)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.

这种植物很常见，尤其是在节日期间，因为它在感恩节或圣诞节前后开花。(我的通常在感恩节开花，然后几周后再开花。)从技术上讲，这种植物是多肉植物，它需要一个明亮(但不热)的窗户来居住——它当然需要相当数量的光线，但同时又喜欢保持相对凉爽。所以靠近或高于加热器的窗户是最理想的。因为它是多汁植物，所以不需要经常浇水，尽管它在开花前和开花期间喜欢多喝点水。

Orchids

兰花

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.

这些美丽的植物并不像很多人想象的那么难照顾;市场上可以买到的那些已经被培育得相对耐寒。它们不需要在热带温度下保存(事实上，兰花的自然栖息地是在微风吹拂、夜间凉爽的高处树枝上的栖息地，它们通常生长在两根树枝之间的y轴上)。所以在它们自然生长的漫长周期里，当它们大部分被卖掉的时候，让它们存活下来是相当容易的。每周浇半杯水就足够了;它们奇怪的根喜欢保持湿润，但不潮湿。

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.

对于那些对长期种植不感兴趣的人来说，多花水仙是一个理想的礼物。此外，这些花会比剪下来的花持续更长的时间。这些漂亮的、有淡淡的香味的花朵来自于种植在各种浅层介质中的球茎(鹅卵石或泥土，取决于你想要的外观)，“被迫”在淡季开花。它们的鳞茎/根部需要保持相对湿润，但一旦开花，只要有光照就行了。如果你或你的受赠人有这样的意愿，这些球茎可以在它们走完自己的路后重新种植在地里——尽管由于强迫的压力有些可能会死亡。