9 Tips for Beautiful Potted Plant Gift Wrap
Cranking up some holiday tunes and wrapping all your brand new presents is one of our favorite activities over the holidays, but if you’re wrapping a houseplant to give as a gift, you might be a bit stumped. After all, they’ve got delicate leaves, and a container full of loose dirt, so improper wrapping could end in a minor Christmas catastrophe.
If you had your heart set on giving out houseplants as gifts this year (which, by the way, we totally approve of), then check out this handy wrapping guide we put together! Everyone on your gift list will be doubly impressed by your excellent choice of present and supreme wrapping skills!
How to Wrap a Plant for a Gift
There are various techniques you can use for properly wrapping a houseplant as a gift and little extra touches to make it that much more special. Here are some ideas for creative ways to wrap them up—some can even be combined, so consider what kind of houseplant you’re gifting and see which methods are the most fitting.
Use Burlap Wrap, Twine, and Evergreen Cuttings
If you’re into the rustic look, a simple square of burlap can be wrapped around a pot with some twine (and maybe a little bit of hot glue). Simply place the pot in the middle of the burlap square, and then fold all the fabric upward, so it covers the sides of the pot and is smooth and pleated, not lumpy and uneven.
Don’t worry about tucking in any of the raw edges of burlap at the top—that just adds to the rustic aesthetic! Use a few dots of hot glue to keep the folds in place, and secure them together with a piece of sturdy twine tied into a bow. Pop in a couple of sprigs of fresh evergreens for a little extra holiday flair.
Traditional Wrapping Paper and Ribbons
You know how poinsettia pots are covered in that pretty foil wrapping? You can totally do that with other houseplants too! We recommend using a sturdier wrapping paper, tinted cellophane or foil that won’t fall apart if it comes into contact with moisture. Fold it up in the same way as you would with the burlap square, and secure it in place with hot glue and pretty ribbons.
Cover the Top in Cellophane
If you have to travel with your houseplant gifts and are worried they might topple over and spill potting soil everywhere, it might be worth wrapping the entire houseplant in thick cellophane made for wrapping gifts (not the kind you wrap leftover lunch with). There are some tinted and iridescent gift cellophane available that are really beautiful when they catch the light!
Fold a large sheet of cellophane up and over the top of the houseplant, so it doesn’t squish the leaves down, tuck in the sides, and tape the ends together on the bottom so any loose soil won’t fall out. Then, wrap the bottom of the pot in wrapping paper or burlap, so it looks fancy! Try not to leave the cellophane on for more than a day or two, or else your houseplant won’t get enough CO2 to convert into oxygen, which could stress it out.
Paint a Terracotta Pot Yourself
If you enjoy crafting or making your own original art, make your houseplant gift extra special by custom decorating your own terracotta container! You can pick up some cheap craft acrylics from the dollar store, and there are plenty of pretty styles to choose from that fit the holiday vibe, like sparkly metallics or pearlescent pastels. Just be sure not to paint the inside of the pot—only decorate the outside and just a little bit of the top inner brim.
Container Collage
Another cute way to customize your container is by doing your own collage! All you need is a jar of mod podge, a paintbrush, some scissors, and some pictures to paste on! Mod podge is waterproof, so you won’t have to worry about the images getting damaged from water.
Your pot design doesn’t necessarily have to stick to a holiday theme—you can tailor your design to fit the style of the recipient. If they’re into vintage aesthetics, pick up some old Time magazines from a vintage store and cut out cool images from the advertisements. For something more sentimental, print out some photos of fun memories and stick those on!
Skip the Bow… Add a Tillandsia!
Tillandsia don’t need soil and can survive in the open air, and their curly tangle of leaves totally looks like a fancy, botanical gift ribbon! Secure one to your houseplant container with some ribbon, and while you’re at it, add one onto all your other wrapped gifts as well!
Nestle It In An Open Box with Decorative Tissue
Grab a square box (pre-decorated or wrapped) that’s a few inches wider and taller than your houseplant container, place the pot inside, and stuff a bunch of balled up newspaper all around it to keep the pot secure. Tuck in some tissue paper, so it fans out from the top of the box and conceals the leaves a bit without completely covering the houseplant.
Wrap a Christmas Sock Around a Small Pot
For smaller succulents like echeveria and haworthia, give the container the Ugly Christmas Sweater treatment! Missing the mate to one of your novelty patterned Christmas socks? Cut the bottom of the sock off, slip it over a little terracotta pot, trim the top and glue it down inside the inner brim, as glue the bottom edge down, so it covers the rim of the bottom. You want the drainage holes of your pot to still be uncovered so you don’t end up with a soggy mess. Place your houseplant inside, and you’re good to go!
Add Care Instructions On a Card
Adding a little set of instructions for your chosen houseplant will be incredibly useful for the recipient! Feel free to get creative and unleash your inner artist—get a cool calligraphy pen or some paints to fancy up the card, and fold it into an envelope, or attach it to a wooden skewer and stick inside the pot near the edge, away from the main root ball.
Still unsure of what to buy for everyone on your list? Our holiday gift guide has the perfect houseplant for everyone—from Mom and Dad to your angsty teenage nephew and the guy you’ve never met whose name you drew in the office Secret Santa. Check out our blog for more holiday houseplant inspiration, and browse through our online shop to see all the amazing new greenery ready to go home!
