I realize the Valentines Day “holiday” sends some folks running for the hills; but I’ll take any excuse to give and receive a little extra love. Whether you bestow a bit of extra love upon yourself, your partner, a friend or your garden, there are plenty of easy green-thumb-approved ways to get creative. As I discussed in my 2014 V-Day post, February 14th is a great excuse for us plant enthusiasts to acquire some of the more unusual items on our “wish list”. While I’m still a big proponent of cut flowers, there are also many other non-traditional gift options for the gardener (or garden) in your life.
For plant gifts that keep on giving, turn to blooming perennials. Many make beautiful blooming gift plants, such as the stunning ‘Black Diamond’ and ‘Snow White’ Hellebore (Lenten rose) I found at North Haven Gardens (NHG) this past weekend. After they’ve spent a week on your desk or dining room table indoors, they can be planted out in the garden to enjoy year after year. Blooming orchids and sculptural succulents also make the perfect gift plants. Have your local garden center dress up the plants so they can be gifted in style.
If you really want to show your garden some love, how about some baby bees? If raising honey bees is too big of an undertaking, but the gardener in your life has their heart set on bees, then mason bees are a great alternative. They’re super pollinators and can really help you ramp up production in your veggie garden and fruit trees. I’ll be blogging about mason bees in detail next week so be sure to check back!
If your gardener, or garden, needs some glamor you might check out the beautiful glass sculpture pieces I found at NHG. They can be placed directly in garden beds or inserted into plant containers at the front door or patio for an impressive display. Not that I’m dropping hints or anything.
