Best Housewarming Plant Gifts in Ireland: Statement Plants That Grow With the New Home
The best housewarming plant gifts in Ireland are large, long-lived statement plants matched to the light in the new home: an olive tree (Olea europaea, the ancient symbol of peace) or a money tree (Pachira aquatica, traditionally given for prosperity) for a bright house, and a Kentia palm (Howea forsteriana) or ZZ plant for a north-facing flat. For real impact, the white bird of paradise, Monstera, Madagascar dragon tree, spineless yucca and fiddle-leaf fig are all 1 metre or more when they arrive. This guide profiles all eight, explains how to match a plant to the new home's light, and shows how to get a big plant through the front door and settled in.
Most housewarming gifts are used up within a week: the wine is drunk and the flowers are composted. A well-chosen potted plant is still there years later, and it gets bigger. A Kentia palm, for example, is slow-growing and long-lived, and a money tree's braided trunk thickens as the years go by. For more ideas across every occasion, see our indoor plant gifts guide.
What is the best plant to give as a housewarming gift in Ireland?
The best all-round housewarming plant for an Irish home is the Kentia palm, because it looks elegant, copes with the low light of a north-facing room and is listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs by the ASPCA. If you know the new home is bright, an olive tree or money tree adds a meaning to the gift: peace and friendship with the olive, and good fortune with the money tree. If you want the most dramatic gift and the recipient has a big, sunny room, choose the white bird of paradise.
New Irish homes range from city apartments with one north-facing window to bright houses with south-facing extensions, so the key question is how much light will the plant get? Each profile below gives the plant's origin, light, watering, pet safety and one Irish-home note.
Browse the full range of plant gifts, or go straight to potted plant gifts ready to send.
Which housewarming plants carry a meaning of peace, luck or prosperity?
The olive tree and the money tree are the two housewarming plants with a long-standing meaning: the olive is the ancient symbol of peace, friendship and long life, and the money tree is traditionally given for good fortune and prosperity. Both make a thoughtful gift for a first home, and the meaning is easy to write into a gift message.
Olive tree (Olea europaea): peace, friendship and long life
The olive tree comes from the Mediterranean basin, where it has been grown for thousands of years. It needs full sun, so it suits the brightest window indoors, or a sheltered sunny patio in the milder parts of Ireland. Let the compost dry slightly between waterings, as olives dislike sitting in wet soil. This is a gift for a bright house with a south-facing room, a conservatory or a sunny back garden. It is not a gift for a dim flat.
Why it suits a housewarming: it is a gift with a meaning: peace in the new home and friendship with the people who live there. See our olive tree care guide for Ireland for indoor and outdoor growing.
Money tree (Pachira aquatica): good fortune for a first home
The money tree grows wild in the wetlands of Central and South America. Indoors it wants bright indirect light and water when the top few centimetres of compost are dry. It is an easy, adaptable living-room plant, and it is listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs by the ASPCA, which makes it a safe choice when you don't know whether the new household has pets.
Why it suits a housewarming: it is traditionally given for good fortune and prosperity, which makes it a natural gift for a first home.
Which statement plants make the biggest impact in a new home?
The white bird of paradise, Monstera deliciosa and fiddle-leaf fig make the biggest impact. Each has large, sculptural leaves that fill an empty corner straight away, and each arrives at around a metre tall or more. All three need a bright room, so check the light before you buy.
White bird of paradise (Strelitzia nicolai): the ultimate statement plant
This giant comes from the coastal forests of eastern South Africa. It needs bright light, including some direct sun, which in Ireland means a south- or west-facing room. Keep the compost evenly moist in summer and drier in winter. Keep it away from pets that chew leaves. Its huge paddle-shaped leaves split naturally along their veins as they mature. That is normal, not damage. Read the full Strelitzia care guide.
Monstera (Monstera deliciosa): the iconic split-leaf houseplant
The Monstera grows wild in tropical forests from southern Mexico to Panama. It likes bright indirect light and water when the top 5cm of compost is dry. Keep it away from pets that chew leaves. In an Irish living room it grows steadily through spring and summer and slows right down in winter. Its split, holed leaves make it one of the most recognisable houseplants there is. Our Monstera and Philodendron care guide covers support poles and repotting.
Fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata): for someone who already keeps plants
The fiddle-leaf fig is native to western Africa. It needs bright indirect light and a consistent routine: water when the top 5cm is dry. Keep it away from pets that chew leaves. It dislikes draughts and being moved, so it is best for someone who already keeps plants and has a bright, settled spot waiting for it. The large, violin-shaped leaves are what make it so striking. More on the whole genus in our guide to the best Ficus plants for Irish homes.
Which housewarming plants suit a dark, north-facing flat?
The Kentia palm is the best housewarming plant for a north-facing flat or a dim room, because it tolerates fairly low light and short Irish winter days better than almost any other palm. The ZZ plant and the cast iron plant are the other reliable choices for rooms that never get direct sun.
Kentia palm (Howea forsteriana): the classic parlour palm
The Kentia palm comes from Lord Howe Island, off eastern Australia. It grows in anything from bright indirect to fairly low light and tolerates a north-facing room. Water when the top 3–4cm of compost is dry, and less in winter. It is listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs by the ASPCA. This is one of the few palms that copes with cool rooms and short Irish winter days. It is the classic Victorian parlour palm: elegant, slow-growing and long-lived, so the plant that arrives on moving day will still suit the room years later. Browse more Kentia palms and palm plants.
ZZ plant and cast iron plant: for the darkest rooms
The ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) comes from eastern Africa, from Kenya to South Africa. It grows in low to bright indirect light and needs water only every 2–3 weeks, because it stores water in thick underground rhizomes. Keep it away from pets that chew leaves. It copes with dim hallways and with missed waterings during a busy move. The cast iron plant (Aspidistra elatior), from the islands of southern Japan, is a famously indestructible Victorian favourite. It tolerates deep shade, needs little water, is listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs by the ASPCA, and thrives in cold, dark hallways where little else survives. See more in our guide to low-light plants for north-facing rooms and the low-light plants collection.
Kentia Palm (Howea forsteriana) 120cm
Which tall plants are the easiest to look after in a new home?
The Madagascar dragon tree and the spineless yucca are the easiest tall housewarming plants. Both are structural, both handle a missed watering, and both suit the busy first months in a new house.
Madagascar dragon tree (Dracaena marginata)
Dracaena marginata is native to Madagascar. It likes medium to bright indirect light and water when the top half of the compost is dry. Keep it away from pets that chew leaves. It tolerates the dry air of centrally heated homes better than most houseplants, which matters in a new-build with efficient heating. It is tall and structural and makes an instant impact in a new home. The version below arrives in a basket, so it is ready to stand in place.
Spineless yucca (Yucca elephantipes)
The spineless yucca comes from Mexico and Central America. It wants bright light, with some direct sun, so give it the brightest window in the house. Water sparingly and let it dry out between waterings. Keep it away from pets that chew leaves. It is bold, drought-tolerant and very low-maintenance, so it is ideal for a recipient who travels or is still unpacking boxes weeks after moving in.
Madagascar Dragon Tree (Dracaena marginata) 130–150cm
How do I match a housewarming plant to the light in the new home?
Match the plant to the brightest window in the room where it will live: north-facing rooms suit the Kentia palm, ZZ plant and cast iron plant; east- or west-facing rooms suit the Monstera, money tree, dragon tree and fiddle-leaf fig; and south-facing rooms or conservatories suit the olive tree, bird of paradise and yucca. If you don't know, choose the Kentia palm or ZZ plant, because both tolerate a wide range of light.
A few quick ways to find out without spoiling the surprise:
- Ask about the view. "Does the living room get the evening sun?" tells you it faces west. A flat that "never gets direct sun" almost certainly faces north.
- Apartment or house? City apartments often have windows on one side only, with a deep room behind them. Plants more than two metres from the glass get much less light than you'd expect, so choose a low-light plant.
- Think about Irish winters. Between November and February, even a south-facing room gets short, weak daylight. Sun-lovers like the olive and yucca should sit right beside the window in winter, not in a corner.
- Watch for radiators and front doors. New homes often have radiators under every window. Most tropical plants dislike hot, dry air blowing up through their leaves, and cold draughts from a front door in winter. Suggest a spot a little to one side.
How do I move a big plant into a new home without damaging it?
Carry a big plant by its pot, never by the stem or leaves, keep it upright, and move it on a mild day. Once it is in, leave it in one spot out of direct heat for a few weeks and don't repot it straight away. If you are delivering the plant yourself, or helping the recipient move an existing plant into the new house, these steps prevent most problems:
- Water a day or two before, not on the day. Moist compost holds the root ball together, but a soaking-wet pot is heavy and can leak in the car.
- Loosely wrap the leaves. A sheet of paper or an old bedsheet, loosely tied around tall plants like the Strelitzia or dragon tree, stops leaves snapping in doorways and stairwells.
- Carry by the pot, and bring a helper. Anything over a metre tall is easier with two people: one on the pot, one guiding the top through doors.
- Avoid cold cars and cold days. Tropical plants dislike sudden cold. In winter, don't leave a plant in a parked car, and move it straight inside.
- Choose its spot first. Moving a plant around a new home looking for a place stresses it. Pick the spot based on the light guide above, then leave it there.
- Expect a short sulk. Some plants drop a leaf or two after a move. A Ficus may drop leaves after moving house and settles within a few weeks. Don't overwater to "help". Keep to the normal routine.
- Repot later, not now. Let the plant settle for at least a few weeks, and ideally wait until spring, before moving it to a bigger pot.
When we deliver, plants travel upright in protective packaging. The recipient only needs to open the box promptly, stand the plant in its spot, and check the compost before watering.
How do these housewarming plants compare?
This table compares all eight featured plants by light, watering, pet safety and the kind of new home each suits best.
| Plant | Latin name | Light | Watering | Pet-safe? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olive tree | Olea europaea | Full sun | Let dry slightly between waterings | No verified listing | Bright house, sunny patio; a gift of peace |
| Money tree | Pachira aquatica | Bright indirect | When the top few cm are dry | Yes (ASPCA non-toxic) | First home; a gift of good fortune |
| White bird of paradise | Strelitzia nicolai | Bright, some direct sun | Evenly moist in summer, drier in winter | No, keep away from chewing pets | Big, bright south- or west-facing room |
| Monstera | Monstera deliciosa | Bright indirect | When the top 5cm is dry | No, keep away from chewing pets | Bright living room |
| Kentia palm | Howea forsteriana | Bright indirect to fairly low | When the top 3–4cm is dry | Yes (ASPCA non-toxic) | North-facing flat; homes with pets |
| Madagascar dragon tree | Dracaena marginata | Medium to bright indirect | When the top half is dry | No, keep away from chewing pets | Centrally heated new-build |
| Spineless yucca | Yucca elephantipes | Bright, some direct sun | Sparingly; let it dry out | No, keep away from chewing pets | Busy owners; sunny window |
| Fiddle-leaf fig | Ficus lyrata | Bright indirect | When the top 5cm is dry; steady routine | No, keep away from chewing pets | Experienced plant owner |
What size housewarming plant should I buy?
A plant of about 90cm to 150cm tall makes the strongest housewarming impression: big enough to anchor an empty room, but still able to fit through a standard doorway. Very tall plants such as a 130–150cm dragon tree suit a house with generous ceilings. For a rented flat, a smaller, easy-care plant is kinder than a giant that will need moving again in a year.
How does housewarming plant delivery work in Ireland?
We offer free delivery to Ireland and 24 more EU countries (25 in total). Delivery takes 5–8 working days and is tracked, though delivery times can vary. Because there is no same-day or next-day delivery, order about two weeks before the housewarming, or send the plant a week or so after moving day, once the boxes are unpacked and the recipient knows where the light falls. Our healthy-arrival guarantee means that plants which arrive damaged, diseased or in poor condition are replaced or refunded. Sending to family abroad? See our guide to sending plants as gifts across Europe.
Frequently asked questions
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- Why potted plants make the perfect gift: the case for giving something that grows.
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