The winner: Impatiens, 89/100. Tied for second at 81: Hibiscus, Stephanotis. Lowest upkeep of the qualifiers: Christmas Cactus at 78.
A housewarming gift moves in for good, so it is judged like a housemate: lives on as a true houseplant, safe for whatever pets the new place has, and easy for owners who are busy unpacking.
The picks
The flowers that won
The top score, plus the qualifier that asks least of you.
Easy for busy new homeowners: medium, high (mean of range) · Flowers, not just leaves: 9 months · Safe if a cat moves in too: listed non-toxic
Flaws, not dealbreakers:asks for some seasonal upkeep
Cat safe (listed non-toxic)
81/ 100tap for the breakdown
Easy for busy new homeowners11 / 30medium, high (mean of range)
Flowers, not just leaves30 / 309 months
Safe if a cat moves in too15 / 15listed non-toxic
Safe if a dog moves in too15 / 15listed non-toxic
Fragrance10 / 10strong
The protocol
How the score is built
5 rules, 100 points, no opinions. Every line reads one field of the table.
Easy for busy new homeowners30 pointslow upkeep 30; middling 17; demanding 5; sources disagree, we average the range; no rating 15 Read from: how much upkeep extension guides report.
Flowers, not just leaves30 pointseight or more months 30; six to seven 26; four to five 23; three 15; two 8; one 3; no bloom data 8 Read from: the months it is in bloom.
Safe if a cat moves in too15 pointslisted non-toxic 15; never evaluated 8; toxic 2 Read from: the ASPCA toxicity listing.
Safe if a dog moves in too15 pointslisted non-toxic 15; never evaluated 8; toxic 2 Read from: the ASPCA toxicity listing.
Fragrance10 pointsroom-filling scent 10; noticeable up close 8; light 5; documented scentless 3; sources silent 4 Read from: how strong the scent is on record.
Not ranked here: not a lives indoors year-round: a housewarming gift has to move in for good.
The full method ↗
The leaderboard
The top ten
The 10 highest of 16 that qualified. Tap any score to open the lines behind it.
Not qualifying is a verdict too: the table simply says this job is not theirs.
not a lives indoors year-round: a housewarming gift has to move in for goodRoses, Tulips, Peonies and 66 more
The winner's badge
Generated by the ranking above, and re-scored whenever the table changes.
Impatiens
The badge is generated by this ranking, not awarded by hand. When the
table changes, it re-scores itself.
How we rank
We keep one table of 85 flowers,
with 25 documented facts each, drawn from university and extension sources. Every ranking is
a published formula worth 100 points; tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made
it. A flower that does not fit a job is not scored lower: it is excluded, and the reason is
shown. When the table changes, every score and stamp updates itself.
The full method ↗
