10 Best Plant Gifts for Mother's Day

A metallic copper pot sets off this cute trailing jade plant — sure to please a mom who likes succulents, drought-resistant plants with thick leaves and stems. She can grow it indoors in a sunny window or transplant it into her garden in Zones 10 and 11. Its trailing vines will grow to 70' high outdoors, where they'll need a sturdy structure to climb on, such as an arbor or pergola. As a houseplant, the vines can reach 4' to 8' long. It can be pruned lightly in late summer to shape it up or manage its size; pale, blue-green flowers sometimes appear in the spring or summer.

Go big with a monstera plant for moms who love houseplants. Thanks to the natural holes in its large leaves, this dramatic houseplant is also known as Swiss cheese plant and split-leaf philodendron. Monsteras are low-maintenance evergreens that thrive in bright, indirect light and they're an interior designer favorite for their dramatic look. They're happy with average home temperatures and humidity, although they're tropicals and prefer high humidity, if possible. Water them when the top inch of soil dries out and feed in the spring and summer with a balanced houseplant fertilizer. If mom has pets or small children around, caution her to keep them away from this mildly toxic plant.

Tell mom to keep her phalaenopsis orchid near a bright eastern window — never in direct sun. If plants are kept near south- or west-facing windows, provide some type of shade. And humidity is vital to succeeding with phalaenopsis orchids. Too-dry air can cause flower buds to drop. These tropical plants prefer humidity in the 50 to 80 percent range. Fall and winter air indoors can tend to be dry. Running a humidifier or placing her phalaenopsis orchid on a gravel-filled tray with water added so it remains below the gravel is another good tip to share with mom to keep her orchid thriving. As the water evaporates, it raises the humidity around the moth orchid. Find more phalaenopsis care tips here.

A frilly rabbit foot fern will please a mom who loves sweet houseplants. This fern gets its name from the furry rhizomes, or modified plant stems, that climb out over the sides of its container. It's a good candidate for a hanging basket, too, if you want to pick one up as an additional Mother's Day gift; she'll be able to see more of its fuzz if it's hanging overhead. Rabbit foot ferns like bright, indirect light indoors and high humidity, so she'll want to mist it often. Her plant can vacation outdoors when the weather is reliably warm in a shaded or partially shaded spot. It's hardy in Zones 10 and 11, so it needs to go back inside if she lives where the winters are cold.