Table of Contents
New Year is a time of celebration and a brand-new start. It is a time for friends and family, inner reflection, and new beginnings.
It could also be a time to exchange gifts and gift a plant that symbolizes good luck, prosperity, and abundance not only is a great idea but a long-lasting gift that represents a living relationship between you and the receiver.
Here are some of the best plants you could select as a New Year’s gift or even grow as a houseplant to welcome new beginnings.
Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana)
The Lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) is a plant associated with luck and fortune and is popular around the time of the New Year. Its Chinese name means wealth and rank and symbolizes prosperity and good luck. This makes the Lucky bamboo a great New Year’s gift or houseplant for your home.
An important thing to note about the Lucky bamboo is the number of stalks it has, as these numbers indicate different things. Two stalks symbolize love, while three represent wealth, happiness, and longevity. However, avoid a lucky bamboo with four stalks as it symbolizes death and negative energy.
This hardy plant can thrive in different conditions, and if you do not want to get your fingers dirty, plant your Lucky bamboo in water. Choose a glass planter and add pebbles and beads to make it an eye-catching display. Remember to change the water every week to keep the plant’s roots covered and healthy.
Holly (Ilex)
This plant symbolizes happiness, immortality, and protection from evil spirits. The red berries look appealing amidst the green shiny foliage of leaves.
Holly can thrive in all types of sunlight and soil conditions, making it an excellent holiday gift that requires little maintenance. If you choose holly for your garden, you can grow it in a pot or as a shrub in the yard.
Orchids (Orchidaceae)
Being a symbol of fertility and abundance, the orchid flower adds prosperous vibes to the whole space and stays fresh for many days. Violet orchids are thought of as being auspicious, the white blooms are a symbol of peace and harmony, and the pink flowers represent harmony in a relationship.
Orchids need the right care with the right amount of water to help them thrive.
Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
The peace lily is considered to bring good luck and fortune. It also symbolizes a fresh start, healing, and cleansing which is very relevant for New Year’s.
Peace lilies grow well in filtered, indirect sunlight and need the right amount of water at all times.
If you choose to give Peace lily as a New Year’s gift, remember that they can be toxic to pets, especially to cats. When ingested, peace lilies can cause irritation and vomiting in humans as well as in animals.
Money Tree Plant (Pachira aquatica)
The Money tree is a plant that is believed to bring fortune and happiness to a home. It is commonly associated with power, strength, riches, and happiness. The green and glossy foliage of the plant supposedly attracts positive energy and goodness.
Legend has it that if a person owns a Money tree and takes good care of it, they will have good luck and good fortune.
The Money tree plant usually has a braided stem, which is created by using multiple trees. Braiding the stem is said to lock in the good luck of the plant which is a popular feature that is often seen with the Lucky bamboo.
Calathea (Calathea)
Calathea symbolizes new beginnings which makes it an ideal plant for the New Year. The name originates from the English phrase ‘to turn over a new leaf’, which the Calathea does depend on the levels of light.
When it is dark, the clever Calathea ‘turns over a new leaf’ by folding its leaves over and upwards. When there is light, the leaves open back again.
The Calathea is also called the Peacock plant as its leaves look like peacock feathers. These features make Calathea a special gift to give on New Year’s.
Daffodils (Narcissus)
The Daffodil plant makes a great gift for New Years as it symbolizes new beginnings, reflection, and rebirth. Daffodils are believed to bring wealth and good fortune.
The Daffodil is the national flower of Wales, and it is said seeing the first Daffodil would be a sign of wealth and prosperity for the whole year.
Daffodils are also used as a currency for payment. It is said that a single daffodil is sent to the Prince of Wales as rent for lands on the Island of Scilly and coast of Cornwall. This is interesting because giving a single daffodil is also seen to bring bad luck and misfortune.
Crocus (Crocus sativus)
Being a low-maintenance plant, the crocus grows from a bulb-like structure called corm, which tends to naturalize and reappear year after year. Crocus produces saffron. The three deep red tendrils from the center of a crocus flower are harvested as saffron.
The crocus provides winter garden color as it lasts through chilly temperatures surviving hard winter. As a result, the word crocus in the financial lexicon refers to a business or economy that recovers early, surviving a tough winter. So, the crocus symbolizes the end of hardships, specifically financial hardships, it makes it a great New Year’s plant.
Bonsai
Bonsai symbolizes friendship, love, and respect. Receiving a bonsai as a gift is said to bring in double the luck compared to buying the plant yourself. It is also believed to bring in luck and harmony, making the bonsai a great plant to gift at New Year’s.
Anthurium (Anthurium)
Not only does the Anthurium top NASA’s list of air-purifying plant list but the beautiful red color of the Anthurium flower symbolizes prosperity and good fortune. The
Anthurium flower forms an open-heart shape that is long-lasting and symbolizes hospitality. According to Feng Shui, Anthuriums bring good luck and strengthen relationships making the Anthurium a desirable gift plant for New Year’s.
Handy Tips to Care for Your New Year’s Plants
- Water should be at room temperature: If you water the plants with cold water, then it can slow or even stop the growth of the plant. While hot water can damage the roots and kill the plant in the end. So, always water your plants with temperatures between 62 F and 72 F, regardless of what the temperature is like outside.
- Use natural fertilizers: Don’t throw away plant matter from your plant. Pile them up and let them break down naturally. You may go for compost making after reading about the benefits of compost, but it takes a long time and a lot of patience.
- Don’t change the place of your plant too much: Plants usually love to grow where they are planted, so avoid shifting positions from time to time. Select a big pot and a suitable place with the right amount of sunlight and when you grow your plant there, do not disturb it much.
If you find a better spot for the plant, then gradually transition the plant to its new location. Start to put the plant for a short time in the beginning, and increase the duration gradually, so that the plant gets adjusted to the new conditions.
- Clean the plant leaves: You know that photosynthesis takes place in the green parts of the plant, which is mostly its foliage. But when there is dust all over the leaves, and the sunlight is obstructed from reaching the plant cells and prohibits your plant from producing energy.
So, use a paper towel, or wet toothbrush to clean the leaves regularly. You can also spray water on them, this makes them appear glossier and prettier. You should also observe the leaves for any pesticides or other insects troubling them. This way, spraying water could also help get rid of pests and you no longer need to use pesticides.
Wrapping Up
The list of plants here makes great New Year’s gifts and the best options if you wanted to adorn your home to welcome the New Year. Understanding what each plant symbolizes allows you to be confident when giving gifts.
Enjoy gifting one of these best plants as a New Year’s gift to bring the best of luck and good fortune to your friends and loved ones.
