It’s no surprise that flowers are a popular gift for Valentine’s Day across the globe. But you may be surprised by the actual numbers:
According to 2022 stats from the National Retail Federation, Americans plan to spend a whopping 23.9 billion dollars on Valentine’s Day, and a full 37% of those surveyed planned to buy flowers.
Wow!
Cut roses are by far the most popular choice. Unfortunately, as beautiful as they are, cut flowers have a short lifespan. But what if you could give your beloved a living symbol of your affection that can last for years?
You can! Today, you’ll learn about 12 romantic plants with heart-shaped leaves that serve as a daily reminder of your love. Best of all, most of these plants live happily indoors and are easy to care for.
Ready to set the cut flowers aside this year? Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
1. Anthurium
Botanical name: Anthurium andraeanum
In addition to the graceful heart shaped leaves, anthurium goes the extra Valentine’s mile with shiny, vibrant red blossoms that also bear a perfect heart shape. It’s not a stretch to say that you’re pretty much looking at Valentine’s Day in plant form!
One of the best aspects of anthurium blooms is their incredible staying power. Your Valentine could be enjoying the beautiful pop of crimson well into spring!
Not only is anthurium striking to look at, but it’s also an easy-care houseplant. Just give it lots of indirect sunlight, a warm ambient temperature and consistent watering, and it will flourish.
Need a little shopping direction? Nature Hills Nursery is a great online source for beautiful, healthy anthurium plants shipped right to your door!
2. Cyclamen
Botanical name: Cyclamen persicum
With their soft blossoms and gently heart shaped leaves, cyclamen has a rich history of symbolizing enduring love and heartfelt affection.
Cyclamen blossoms come in various shades, including pink, red and white. Although the blossoms are eye-catching, cyclamen leaves are a standout in their own right.
The white vein pattern has an almost hand-painted look. And for a bit of a throwback Valentine’s feel, the delicately indented leaf edges resemble the old-fashioned heart-shaped cards with scalloped edging.
Cyclamen grows best in a slightly cool environment, usually between 55 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Water only when the soil feels dry, and your cyclamen will stay happy.
Cyclamen produce their blossoms seasonally, between periods of dormancy. With proper care, cyclamen can thrive and enthusiastically re-bloom every year.
Etsy has quite a wide selection of cyclamen plants, like some of these!
3. String of Hearts
Botanical name: Ceropegia woodii
Jewelry is another popular Valentine’s gift, but maybe your loved one would prefer a String of Hearts rather than a string of gold, silver or pearls.
This beautiful and unusual plant forms long tendrils filled with perfectly heart shaped leaves. Best displayed in a hanging basket, a String of Hearts can easily grow several feet long.
String of Hearts has its origins in the tropical areas of the world, and they love the sun! Put your plant in a bright location, like a south-facing window, and the Valentine’s hearts can last all year!
As a semi-succulent plant that can store extra water in its leaves, String of Hearts prefers its soil on the dry side, so care needs are minimal. For more detailed guidance, check out our post How Often to Water Succulents!
We really like the larger 6-inch size of this String of Hearts plant from Amazon!
RELATED: Visit our post on Variegated String of Hearts to see a multi-colored version of this lovely plant!
4. Philodendron Gloriosum
Botanical name: Philodendron gloriosum
If you’re looking for big, bold hearts to give your valentine, a Philodendron glorisum definitely makes a statement!
In its natural habitat, Philodendron gloriosum leaves typically measure up to 3 feet in length. But don’t worry about overwhelming your valentine’s home with massive foliage: The leaves tend to stay much smaller in domestic settings.
In addition to their striking size, Philodendron gloriosum leaves also have a unique, soft surface that mimics the feel of velvet.
Your sweetheart won’t have to work too hard to enjoy their heart shaped plant all year long. Bright, indirect sunlight, regular watering to keep the soil moist and elevated humidity near the plant are enough to keep it happy.
Philodendron gloriosum isn’t a common plant, and you’re unlikely to find one at your local nursery.
The internet to the rescue! Head over to Etsy and check out these Philodendron gloriosum sellers.
RELATED: We’ve taken a deep dive into Philodendron Gloriosum care in our detailed guide. Stop on by!
5. Golden Pothos
Botanical name: Epipremnum aureum
Maybe your Valentine isn’t much for gold jewelry.
No problem! With delicate golden accents speckled against a vibrant green backdrop, a golden pothos plant may be the perfect solution.
These plants form long, trailing vines that look elegant draping over the edges of a container. And with the proper care and some patience, you can also train golden pothos to climb a trellis or wall for a stunning effect.
Golden pothos not only looks great, but it’s also easy to care for and makes a perfect houseplant. It just needs plenty of indirect sunlight and watering when the soil gets dry.
Nature Hills Nursery offers golden pothos in compact 4-inch pots, the prefect size for Valentine gifting!
6. Morning Glory
Botanical name: Ipomoea (multiple color-specific species)
With perfectly heart shaped leaves and colorful blooms in a variety of colors, morning glories have a truly joyful appearance.
You may have seen these cheerful flowers climbing an outdoor trellis, greeting the sun every morning. They also love to curl around a mailbox pole or porch railing.
While it’s most common to grow morning glory outdoors, they can also be a happy houseplant under the right conditions.
A warm ambient temperature and a large, south-facing window that gets full sun is the perfect place for morning glory to thrive. Also, a trellis or pole provides support and helps control the direction morning glory takes.
Giving a morning glory plant may be a perfect choice if you’re on a Valentine’s budget. It’s uncommon to find morning glory plants in pots, so you’ll probably have to start your own plants from seeds. Fortunately, the seeds are readily available and usually inexpensive, like this color blend from Botanical Interests.
However, starting morning glory seeds is a finicky business, so you’ll be showing your sweetheart your love with your investment of time and effort.
7. Kalanchoe Luciae
Botanical name: Kalanchoe luciae
With just a gentle curving at the leaf tips, you may have to use a little more imagination to see the heart-shaped leaves on the Kalanchoe luciae. But the lovely red color certainly gets the point across, almost looking like an entire living pile of Valentine’s hearts!
This plant is a member of the Kalanchoe family of succulents. They’re sometimes known as paddle plants due to their distinctive wide, flat leaves.
Even though succulents are wildly popular and seemingly everywhere, the unique red coloring makes the Kalanchoe luciae a unique standout.
All succulents retain moisture in their plump leaves, and Kalanchoe luciae is no exception. This characteristic makes for easy care: Infrequent watering, indirect sunlight and periodic repotting as the plant grows.
Some kalanchoe luciae plants have just a soft red edging, but Etsy is a good source to find ones with vibrant red color. Check out these sellers!
Related: Looking for a perfect pot to accompany your Kalanchoe luciae Valentine’s gift? Stop by our review where we go over the best types of pots succulents and cactus.
8. Hoya Kerii
Botanical name: Hoya kerii
Commonly known as a “sweetheart hoya,” these plants pop up in Valentine’s Day displays at retailers and nurseries across the country. And with their perfect heart shape, it’s not hard to see why!
This photo shows what you might see for sale:
This trend has a downside, though. When you buy a sweetheart hoya, you’re only buying a single leaf from the plant. Even though it certainly looks cute on Valentine’s Day, it will take the proper care and a lot of patience for this leaf to eventually take root and send out new growth.
Since it can take many months to see any significant progress, why not buy your valentine a complete hoya kerii plant instead?
By going this route, you’ll give your valentine an entire plant of hearts instead of just a single one. Remember, they say one is the loneliest number!
What’s more, this easy-going houseplant couldn’t be simpler to care for. Place your plant in full sun, and plan to water once or twice per month.
This 4-inch hoya kerii plant from Amazon is a nice choice!
9. Heart Leaf Philodendron
Botanical name: Philodendron hederaceum
Also referred to as a “sweetheart plant,” heartleaf philodendron produces an abundance of gorgeous, bright-green leaves that are almost perfect heart shapes.
And your valentine has a couple of options to choose from when it comes to displaying their heartleaf philodendron:
- Pinch or clip off new growth to keep the plant in a compact, bushy shape
- As an enthusiastic climber, it’s easy to train the vines to follow a pole or trellis
Even though heartleaf philodendron is native to the tropical regions of South America, it’s not picky about watering or humidity.
Just place your plant in bright indirect sunlight and give it a drink when the soil feels dry. Occasional misting also helps keep the glossy leaves looking their best.
Check out this listing for a heartleaf philodendron on Amazon that has over 6,000 reviews!
10. Monstera Deliciosa
Botanical name: Monstera deliciosa
If you’re looking for a dramatic, slightly abstract take on heart shaped leaves, don’t miss Monstera deliciosa!
This plant is also called the “Swiss cheese plant” due to naturally-occurring holes in the large, high-gloss leaves. These holes start forming near the central leaf vein, eventually making their way to the edges as the plant grows.
In nature, Monstera deliciosa grows in southern Mexico and Central America, and it produces edible fruit. Unfortunately, don’t look for your indoor Monstera to yield any fruit.
Your valentine can enjoy the drama and beauty of Monstera deliciosa with just a minimum of care. Give water when the soil feels dry, about every 1-2 weeks. Although Monstera deliciosa can tolerate direct sunlight, it prefers medium to bright indirect light.
Order your valentine a Swiss cheese plant from Nature Hills Nursery right here!
RELATED: Looking for an even more dramatic version of the monstera to truly wow your Valentine? Visit our post on stunning variegated monsteras to see some of the options out there!
11. Nephthytis
Botanical name: Syngonium Nephthytis
With its vibrant green leaves struck through with bold vein patterns and an elongated, pointy shape, nephthytis definitely brings the visual interest! It also sometimes goes by the names elephant plant and arrowhead plant.
As a native to the warm, humid regions of Central and South America, nephthytis thrives in temperatures greater than 60 degrees and high relative humidity.
Thanks to higher air moisture levels, kitchens and bathrooms that have bright indirect light make perfect homes.
Nephthytis tends to creep, so regular trimming is in order to control the plant’s overall shape.
We like the pink hue on some of these from Etsy!
12. Philodendron Plowmanii
Botanical name: Philodendron plowmanii
Even though this one may look similar to the Philodendron gloriosum we covered earlier, the Phildodendron plowmanii has the distinction of being the rarest of all philodendron species. In fact, some suppliers may have only a couple of Philodendron plowmanii for sale each year!
In nature, this striking plant grows in the rainforests of Ecuador and Peru. It can reach up to 8 feet in height, and the heart shaped leaves can be as large as 12 inches across. The leaves also have a deep color variegation that adds another element of natural beauty.
Despite its rarity, a Philodendron plowmanii is easy to care for and makes a thriving houseplant. Supply your Philodendron plowmanii with lots of indirect sunlight and watering 1-2 times per week, and mist the leaves a couple of times per week.
Due to its scarcity, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that a Phildodendron plowmanii carries a high price tag. But if your valentine is a true plant enthusiast, receiving a rare and striking Philodendron plowmanii may mean the world to them.
If this is the heart shaped plant you want to gift, make sure to allow plenty of time for tracking one down and shipping. Here are some Philodendron plowmanii sellers on Etsy you can browse!
Final Thoughts
Although heart-shaped jewelry or chocolates may be the more common gift, don’t overlook the creativity and beauty of heart shaped plants. What’s more, most of these unique plants thrive indoors, and they usually have simple care routines.
Think of it this way: Instead of Valentine’s Day just lasting for a single day, why not make it last for months or even years!
What did you think of our list of plants with heart-shaped leaves? Do you have any other suggestions to add?
We’d love to hear from you in the comments!
