• Give plant lovers a break from common houseplants.plant image by prinzesa from Fotolia.com
  
  For the plant lover that has everything, consider a gift of strange looking ornamental plant. Unusual plants provide a definite conversation piece and give plant owners a refreshing break from caring for common houseplants and flowers. Caring for an uncommon house plant can also provide a new challenge, a welcome detour from the routine maintenance of average plant.
  
  

Living Stones

• Originating in South Africa, living stones are flowering plants that effortlessly camouflage into their environment because they grow without stem in a bunch that looks like small stones resting in dirt. They come in colors like green, gray or brown and have speckles and other markings. In the autumn, yellow or white flowers push through the top, resembling daisies. Once the flowers bloom and die, the leaves dry up and new leaves push through, replacing them. This plant requires lots of light and minimal amounts of water.
  
  

Polka Dot Plant

• Hailing from Madagascar, the polka dot plant is suitable for the owner who likes a plant that's not just strange looking but boldly so. This plant grows dense leaves covered in pink or white spots, looking as though a painter has passed by the plant and shaken a paintbrush all across the surface area. Some hybrids of the plant come with bright red or silver spots. This plant can grow up to 3 feet high and grows quite easily, feasting on sunlight and moist soil. This plant is suitable for drastically brightening up a garden or room.
  
  

Black Hollyhock

• Some might say this is a morbid plant while others simply consider it striking. According to Nationalgeographic.com, the Scottish gardener and rare plant seller Diane Halligan states: "[Black flowers] seem to rebel against nature and draw us to their nonconformity." These satiny black flowers will certainly add an undeniable amount of uniqueness to any home or garden. Black hollyhock will bloom steadily from the summer to winter if you care for them appropriately, giving them plenty of sun, moist but drained soil and lots of fresh, circulating air.