Part 2 More Ideas. Let’s talk about Valentine’s Day gifting. Houseplants with heart-shaped leaves! They make the perfect gift: living plant, heart-shaped leaves, fun colors, and a daily reminder of you the gift giver.
What Should You Give For A Valentine’s Day Gift?
Valentine’s Day is coming up soon. What do you want to give your sweetheart for a love gift? Roses are beautiful, but expensive and last only a few days. Candy is sweet, but everyone I know is on the Keto diet and trying to avoid extra carbs and sugar.
You might want to consider giving that special someone a houseplant instead. One with heart-shaped leaves, so your love can have “hearts” every day and know how much you love them.
I’ve done some searches for you, and houseplants with heart-shaped leaves are not really common in the indoor garden plant world. But I found some that you’ll really like and that you can easily find at your indoor plant store or on Amazon.
Leaf Shapes in Houseplants
Leaf morphology is the science or study of the physical form and external structure of plants. Leaf shapes are a serious topic in the horticulture language, and Wikipedia* has even devoted a page to the topic. Here’s a link to that page if you want to know more.
Each shape has its own botanical term to define it. Here are a few examples:
- “Cordate” means a heart-shaped leaf with the petiole or stem attached to the notch.
- “Obcordate” is heart-shaped but the stem is attached to the bottom of the heart instead of the dent.
- “Orbicular” is a round leaf.
- “Elliptic” is an oval leaf with a short or no point.
- “Hastate” is shaped like a spear, pointed at the end with the “handle.”
- “Deltoid” is a triangular leaf with the stem attached to the bottom of the triangle.
Houseplants for Valentine’s Day
We’re going to look at houseplants with cordate or heart-shaped leaves. This is Part 2 presenting an additional six houseplants with heart-shaped leaves for Valentine’s Day Gifting.
Arrowhead Plant (Syngonium Podophyllum)
Other names include Arrowhead Vine, American Evergreen, Syngonium, Five Fingers, Green Nephthytis. This is a climbing plant with heart-shaped leaves. They are usually green but there are many varieties available in colors of variegated green, white and yellow.
The Arrowhead Plant is very easy to care for.
- Place in an area that receives indirect sun. It will thrive in low light areas too.
- It likes a temperature range between 60 and 75.
- Water regularly but do not overwater. Let the top of the soil dry out between watering.
- Increase humidity by daily misting or placing over a tray of pebbles with water.
- Mildly toxic to pets and children, take care.
- Propagate by stem cutting, division, and air layering.
Betel Plant (Piperaceae betel
Other names for the Betel Plant include Wild Pepper, Bai Cha Plu, Paan.
A perennial herb grown in India, Betel leaf is an important plant in the Ayurvedic tradition. It’s typically recommended as a stimulant, health tonic, and a breath freshener. Chewed as a dessert called “Paan,” the leaves can be wrapped around spices like cardamom, lime paste, or grated coconut. It acts as a digestive and mouth freshener
Betel Plant is a beautiful vining plant with waxy green, heart-shaped leaves and exotic white spike flowers. The primary stem will grow to 3 feet long, with creeping stems and leaves.
When the leaves are crushed, they give off cool, peppery scent.
The Betel plant is very easy to care for, even someone with no houseplant experience.
- Place in an area with a hot and humid environment.
- It thrives in low light.
- Water it regularly, in well-draining soil.
- Propagate easily by stem cuttings, node rooting, and root division.
Golden Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
Other names include Money Plant, Golden Pothos, Silver Vine, Taro Vine, Pothos.
Golden pothos is one of my favorite houseplants. A low maintenance vine, they are one of the easiest ever to grow and care for. It prefers bright, indirect light but will thrive in low light or artificial light situations. And the best part? It will tell you when it needs water when its leaves begin to droop.
They’re on the list of NASA’s air-purifying plants and are proven to remove toxins like formaldehyde, xylene, trichloroethene, toluene, and benzene from the indoor environment.
These plants have pointed, heart-shaped leaves, sometimes variegated with white, yellow, or pale green. Their trailing vines can grow 6 to 10 feet or longer.
- Place your pothos in an area that receives bright, indirect light.
- If needed, it can thrive in areas with artificial light or low lighting. Good for dorms or offices!
- Plant in well-draining potting soil.
- Let the soil dry out completely between watering.
- Repot when the roots are rootbound. You’ll know when it’s time when you see the leaves drooping regardless of how much you water them.
- Easily propagated by division, stem cuttings, leaf cuttings in water or potting mix.
Sweetheart Hoya (Hoya kerrii Craib)
You might see these called Valentine Hoya, Wax Hearts, Sweetheart Plant, Porcelain Flower, Heart Leaf, Lucky Hearts, and Wax Plant.
Just around Valentine’s Day, these cute pots with a single heart-shaped leaf begin to appear on the store indoor plant shelves. This is the Hoya Kerrii, and it might remain a single leaf in that small pot forever! It’s cute though and will take up only a very small space on your desk or countertop!
If you get one of these plants, don’t re-pot it until it starts to get new growth on it. You might be waiting for a long time, as these single leaves have only a small chance of producing new shoots. And if they do produce new shoots, it might take – wait for it – several years!
Looking very similar to a succulent, the Hoya Kerri s actually in the milkweed family. But you can give it similar care to a succulent and be successful caring for your Valentine Hoya.
- Grow your Valentine Hoya in an area that gets filtered sunlight.
- Use a well-draining potting mix with little organic material.
- Water when the soil has dried out. Don’t overwater this plant!
- Repot when rootbound, every two years or so.
- Propagate easily by stem cuttings in water or potting soil. Take note: it takes several months before you see new growth.
Heart-Leaf Fern (Hemionitis arifolia)
They are also called Tongue Fern, Heart Fern, and Heart Leaf Fern.
Native to Southeast Asia, this is a delicate dwarf fern that is also an epiphyte, in that it grows on trees too. Think about the tropics where it came from! The Heart Leaf Fern wants low light, high humidity, and warm temperatures like the tropics. It’s perfect for a steamy bathroom, terrarium, or greenhouse.
The Heart Leaf Fern has dark green heart-shaped fronds on black stems, standing about 6 to 8 inches tall. Interestingly, you’ll see two types of leaves on this fern: some are sterile and some are fertile. The sterile fronds are heart-shaped on a 2 to 4-inch stalk; the fertile fronds are shaped like arrowheads on a thicker stalk. Both fronds are thick, leathery and slightly waxy.
I’ve heard they are kind of hard to care for. You can’t miss even one watering or they’ll pout forever. Or at least pack a lunch and move out.
- Place your fern in an area that receives bright, indirect sunlight.
- Well-draining soil that is fertile, moist, and rich in hummus.
- Keep soil slightly moist at all times, not soggy.
- Have a pebble saucer underneath it with additional water for humidity.
Monstera Deliciosa (Monstera deliciosa)
Split Leaf Philodendron, Swiss Cheese Plant, Mexican Breadfruit, Hurricane Plant
Native to tropical forests of Southern Mexico to Panama, this plant has large, glossy green leaves. The young leaves are heart-shaped. As the plant matures, the mature leaves develop splits and perforations in them. They climb with aerial roots clinging to the surface but will not harm surfaces.
- Filtered indirect light, part shade to full shade.
- Peaty, well-draining soil.
- Water when the top of the soil feels dry to the touch, mist the leaves regularly.
- Provide a trellis or moss-covered support pole for it to climb on
- Wipe leaves with a damp cloth to remove dust and insects.
- Repot when rootbound, every two years or so.
- Moderately toxic to dogs and cats.
- Reliably propagated by air layering.
Strings of Hearts (Ceropegia linearis)
Rosary Vine is another name you might find it listed as, and String of Hearts is a satisfying trailing plant to grow indoors. It’s easy to care for, grows quickly, and is easy to propagate. Plus, it has heart-shaped leaves for Valentine’s Day giving!
Native to parts of Southern Africa, this semi-succulent vine features heart-shaped leaves with silver, purple stems, and 1-inch bulbous flowers.
- Place it in an area with bright, full sunlight.
- It likes warmer temperatures.
- Water to moisten the plant, allowing the soil to dry out between watering.
- Not toxic to pets or children.
Happy Valentine’s Day To You And Your Loved Ones!
We found six more of the prettiest houseplants with heart-shaped leaves for you. Consider giving these as Valentine’s Day gifts for your love. The present symbolizes your love and the heart-shaped leaves will remind them of you every time they look at the plant.
If you want to read about Part 1’s first six houseplant options for Valentine’s Day gifts, here’s the list.
Valentine’s Day gifting! Which is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.
Want to know which houseplants are safe for your pets? Here are some plants that love bathrooms.
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