A starter hydroponic garden kit is a great idea to get growing indoors. With hydroponics there's no soil, so no mess. Almost any plant that can be grown outdoors can be grown hydroponically indoors faster and in less space than traditional soil-grown plants. It's a great gift, too, for gardeners with allergies to soil. Small kits for growing herbs are popular because they can sit on a sunny kitchen window sill or under a small fluorescent light stand.
Some hydroponic kits are also great for displaying house plants and tropicals.
In some systems, the growing media simply absorbs water and fertilizer from a small reservoir or pot. Other gardens use an air pump to circulate the nutrient solution throughout the system. A grow light is a great option for everybody, especially anyone growing orchids, violets or other flowering plants. Most of these lights have an integrated ballast and can be hung from a gardening cart or suspended on chains from a ceiling over a growing table. Fluorescent light kits are another bright gift idea.