The Avid Gardener: Plenty of gardening gifts for mom

Are you planning to give your mother, mother-in-law, stepmother, grandmother or any other mom a sleeve of cut flowers from a supermarket chain this coming Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 8?

You could do so much better. You could easily go from “thank you” to “wow” this year by using just a bit more thought, effort and preparation.

However, first you’ll need to consider if mom has a “gardening personality.”

Is your mother more of a plant enthusiast? This means she loves all the pleasing forms of individual plants, their scents, colors, textures and combinations, but she isn’t someone you would really call a “gardener.”

If so, a single noteworthy plant or an arrangement could be the thing. One online site boasts lovely selections in very whimsical containers, with names like “Fragrant Gardenia Topiary” or “Mom’s Rose Garden.” These can be delivered right to the door with a heart-felt message, especially if your mother is far away.

You could get more personal, however, if you note which color family of flowers is her favorite and which flowers are designated for the month of her birthday. You can then request a local florist to put together an arrangement with this predominate color scheme and/or special flower, depending on availability. May’s birthday flower is lily of the valley, and other months are simple to find out using Google.

In the same vein, there are numerous websites describing the “language” of flowers and their meanings. Especially in Victorian times, flowers were used to deliver messages which might otherwise go unsaid. Use a language-of-flowers website (such as www.thelanguageofflowers.com) to pick out available flowers that express your feelings, and add a personal message to accompany the gift. Blue hyacinths, for example, traditionally meant “constancy” and ivy traditionally meant “affection.”

Your mother could also be more of a gardener by proxy. This is someone who loves gardens and loves to view gardens but doesn’t necessarily have one herself. There are awesome gifts for this type of gardener. You might surprise her with a gift of a garden outing to be taken in the future.

My friends and I, for example, just returned from a fabulous one-day bus tour to see five homes and gardens in Alexandria, Va. We also had a tour of the house and gardens of Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, our first president. We will all have lasting memories of those stunning gardens and what we learned about Washington and his famous estate.

Gardening books that showcase lovely gardens of all sorts are another possibility. One of my recent favorites is “The Art of Gardening” by The Chanticleer Gardeners and R. William Thomas, which showcases the vibrant and contemporary Chanticleer Garden in Philadelphia. Colorful and informative gardening books of this type can become truly cherished gifts.

What if your mother is an up-and-coming gardener, someone with a fledgling interest? You could design a handsome starter basket. This could include some flower seed packets, like zinnias, a hand pruner, a sturdy pair of gardening gloves, a topical book (such as “Pollinator Friendly Gardening” by Rhonda Fleming Hayes) and a gardening journal in which to record personal gardening information from year to year. My own journal is not a fancy affair; it is a simple black and white spiral notebook in which each year I have drawn garden bed diagrams and noted weather trends, as well as the myriad alterations (both successes and failures) that occurred over time. It is an annotated life saver given to me by one of my first dear gardening friends.

Finally, we come to the mother for whom gardening is a passion. What to buy for the woman who has everything? There are many new and unique items out there for this type of gardener.

It could be something like a “perennial of the year” such as 2016’s anemone “Honorine Jobert” (other yearly winners are listed at www.perennialplant.org). Gardeners are always looking for new flowers and plants.

It might also be a must-have super gardening tool like a Japanese hori-hori knife or perhaps a weed torch like the Weed Dragon. You could, also, present her with a gift certificate for a container or fairy garden workshop or buying spree at a local plant sale or favorite nursery. Even better, you could accompany her on the outing. Paying close attention throughout the year to any passionate gardener’s “wish list” can also be very helpful.

Finally, no matter into which category (or categories) your loved one falls, a perfect idea might be to design a coupon book in which the coupons are each for personalized things, such as an hour spent helping to plant, weed or rake her garden, a leisurely stroll through the Penn State Arboretum or a trip to a local park like Black Moshannon to enjoy a picnic lunch. The coupons could be redeemed at various times throughout the year. I feel these would be especially wonderful for younger children to give to their mothers or grandmothers.

Hopefully, these ideas will provide an aid in tailoring this year’s Mother’s Day gift. And, no matter what you choose, home-grown or exotic, simple or elaborate, be sure to personalize it with the absolute best gift of all — quality time spent with that special woman. Nothing compares to sharing a newsy phone call or lounging on her patio with that frosty glass of iced tea, enjoying spring’s symphony.