Prices of cut flowers skyrocket before Mother's Day. But a gift certificate from a local nursery is also an ideal gift for a gardening mother, and one can also order an amazing array of plants online.
I spend a lot of time looking at those online offerings and am always sorely tempted to order more than I should and earlier than I should. I always watch the shipping costs carefully, however, as they can add so much to the total cost. Of course, I order when there is free shipping, and I don't order heavy items.
For example, I order bulbs, such as amaryllis, but I never order them when they include heavy pebbles or containers to grow them in. The bulbs on their own weigh so much less. I also order small plants in the spring, such as little chrysanthemum plants that I can plant now and then grow on so they are big and beautiful by fall. That provides good bang for the buck.
When I want to order roses for a gift, I often bypass the ephemeral cut flowers and instead order a plant, preferably one grown on its own root, not grafted. Grown on their own roots, roses seem to have a better chance of winter survival. Some of the heirloom roses are hardier also, and of course, I am a supporter of roses bred in the Midwest (such Griffith Buck introductions) since that is where I garden.
Cut flowers are lovely, but there are alternative gifts for mothers who garden.
Notes:
- For small chrysanthemum plants, I like Bluestone Perennials (bluestoneperennials.com)
- For roses, I order from Heirloom Roses online (heirloomroses.com)