Share the garden love with a heart-shaped plant. Meet the plants that wear their hearts on their leaves and flowers.
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Give Your Love a Heart-Shaped Plant
Valentine’s Day is a time for chocolates, heart-shaped balloons, and roses, sure — but if your valentine is a gardener, what they’d really appreciate is a heart-shaped indoor plant. (After all, one can never have too many houseplants!) If you’re looking for the perfect gift for your green-thumbed special someone, you’re sure to find a great option for them among these heart-shaped plants.
Sweetheart Hoya Plant
An ideal gift on Valentine’s Day, a hoya heart plant requires minimal maintenance. Often sold as a leaf cutting, these single-leaf hoya plants typically maintain their size and shape without growing for multiple years, so there’s no need to repot. It thrives in indirect sunlight and well-drained soil and temperatures between 65 and 80 degrees. Hoya heart plant is not toxic to animals, so it’s a perfect choice for a pet owner as well.
Heart-Leaf Philodendron
Another well-known and easy-to-care-for choice for a gardener valentine is a heart-leaf philodendron. Known for being unfussy, they tolerate a variety of conditions and even some neglect: just make sure to water when the soil gets dry. Prune stems as necessary. Place it in indirect sunlight and watch it thrive for years. If your valentine has pets, it would be best to choose a different plant. Heart-leaf philodendron is toxic to cats and dogs.
One of the most popular houseplants, heart-shaped philodendron can grow leaves up to 12 inches wide when growing vertically on trees outdoors.
Anthurium
There are 13 species that make up the Anthurium genus, most featuring heart-shaped flowers and leaves.
Interestingly, the “flowers” on an anthurium plant aren’t flowers at all — they’re leaves! Your valentine certainly won’t mind, as this pretty houseplant is sure to draw attention from all who visit. Place it in bright, indirect light and water only when soil becomes dry (typically between one and two weeks). As a gift-giver, you’ll have several options to choose from: anthuriums come in white, pink, red, and a variety of other colors. Because it is somewhat toxic to animals, do not give anthurium to a dog or cat owner.
String of Hearts
Give your valentine dozens of “hearts” this year with a string of hearts plant (Ceropegia woodii). A favorite choice because of its long, trailing stems and the heart-shaped leaves sprouting from them, string of hearts should be placed in indirect light and watered only when the soil becomes dry. It boasts few pest issues, but gardeners should be on the lookout for mealybugs. Cat and dog owners can happily include a string of hearts in their home, because the plant is non-toxic to animals.
Cyclamen
Noted for its eye-catching beauty, fragrant flowers, and those endearing heart-shaped leaves, a cyclamen plant is sure to bring your valentine joy on their special day. Five petals form cyclamen’s charming blooms, but its painted heart-shaped leaves steal the show.
Because of its dormancy and growing periods, it’s best to keep cyclamen in bright, indirect light in winter (when the plant is growing), and then to move it to darker conditions during its summer dormancy period. Well-draining and slightly acidic soil produces best results. Watering is only necessary when the soil becomes dry, especially when the plant is dormant. Note that cyclamen is toxic to cats and dogs.
More Facts About Heart-Shaped Plants
- Among the showy caladium varieties, the hardiest bulbs can overwinter in Zone 8.
- Bleeding hearts last up to 14 days as cut flowers in a vase.
- At 6 feet tall, Ruby Falls redbud is a compact flowering tree with dark red heart-shaped leaves.
- Violets are the single food source for the larvae of some fritillary butterflies.
Sources
- The National Gardening Association – Plant Ideas for Valentine’s Day
- Wisconsin Horticulture Division of Extension
Additional reporting by Emily Hannemann
