Bomboniere is a lovely way to thank your guests for coming to your special day, but the sentiment can be lost when your loved ones are left with something they don’t need or won’t use. Giving a living plant or a collection of seeds is a wonderful way to say thank you, and if the cutting takes root, it will be a reminder of your wedding day for months or years to come. However, there are a few considerations to take into account that you wouldn’t necessarily find with more common bomboniere. Read on as Western Australia Wedding & Bride unearths some tips for selecting giftable plants.

Happy, Healthy Plants

There’s something particularly tragic about a wilting pot plant, and they certainly don’t make very good gifts. When selecting your plants, ensure that they are in good condition when you purchase them, and well taken care of until it’s time to give them away. View your chosen supplier’s samples to check that they’re healthy plants, and if you’re not an expert gardener, ask them for a care plan. This will probably be as simple as watering each plant and making sure they’re not stuck in the back of someone’s car for three days before the wedding. And of course, look for cardboard pots if possible, to cut down on wastage.

It’s Mint To Be

It’s important to select the right plant for its purpose. For logistical purposes, it’s helpful to pick a small, hardy plant, whose stem won’t snap in transit. It’s good to pick a resilient variety, too, something that will take happily to various soils when it’s planted, because you cannot assume that everyone has a green thumb and the perfect spot in the garden for their little plant. It’s also a good idea to select varieties that do well as indoor potted plants. If this sounds like a lot, don’t worry – there are a plethora of varieties to choose from, and your local nursery will be able to offer plenty of suggestions.

It’s a beautiful tradition to plant a tree to commemorate your wedding day, but not everyone has room for a fully grown tree in their backyard. You can provide a tray of little saplings, and a tray of smaller plants to solve this problem, and let your guests take whichever they prefer.

Some of our favourite choices are tough varieties of herbs, because not only will they take well to outdoor soil or a pot, but they’re useful, too. Herbs like sage, mint or rosemary do well in pots or in the garden, and they’re great to have on hand when cooking. If you want to gift something with colour, lavender is an excellent, resilient choice. For the ultimate low-maintenance, pot-friendly plant, you can’t go past succulents. There are so many different types which do well in pots or the garden, and come in a range of colours, such as echeverias, whose rosettes can range from pale green to pink or red. Whichever plant you choose to gift, include some care instructions, too, because every plant has different needs.

There are a multitude of ways in which you can include living plants as part of the wedding styling. A little pot plant with a name tag tied around it makes a gorgeous place card, as well as a gift! But just keep in mind that as with all bomboniere, some guests will leave them behind at the venue. If you’ve allocated a plant for everyone, make sure you’ve got a plan to take care of the leftovers – maybe there’s some room in your own garden at home. Alternatively, rather than setting out one little sprig for everyone, you can set up a table by the exit so your guests can take one if they wish.