Families will be flocking to garden centres this weekend in search of gifts that signify their love and esteem for the mothers in their homes. Knowing her plant and flower preferences and her current gardening requirements, and keeping in mind the nature of the space in which she gardens will all help in making choices.
Mother might be in dire need of new hand pruners to replace a cranky old pair that has become tedious to use. I can recommend Felco #6, made for small hands. My hands are not particularly small, but I have found this size to be so much easier on the hands than the more commonly used larger sizes (# 7 and #8).
They are secateurs for the long term. I鈥檝e given my current pair over a dozen years of extremely hard use. They still work wonderfully well.
Mother鈥檚 Day plants. Taste in plants is a highly individual thing, but families know their mothers. If in doubt, a gift certificate promises pleasurable shopping.
It鈥檚 a tradition in some families to celebrate special occasions with a plant that will serve as a living reminder of the occasion. For Mother鈥檚 Day that might be a small spring-flowering tree, or a dwarf, flowering evergreen shrub that can be grown in a container or in the garden.
Among evergreen shrubs available in compact varieties are rhododendrons, skimmia, pieris and kalmia (mountain laurel). These plants are small, but mighty. Their parallels with mothers around the world are many.
They endure, creating a pleasing presence year-round in a variety of circumstances. They do not cry out for constant care, though they respond glowingly to a little appreciative cultivation and a bit of cozy nurturing 鈥� for mother, a warm quilt and tea in bed in the morning perhaps; for the plants, a nourishing compost mulch.
My favourites among neatly shaped, dwarf flowering evergreen shrubs are the daphnes. I have a cherished collection of them, some seed-grown (Daphne cneorum and retusa). Others are Daphne odora, tangutica, 鈥楨ternal Fragrance鈥� and 鈥楲awrence Crocker.鈥�
Unfortunately, the daphnes have been hard to access this year. I could not find any source this spring for a once popular Mother鈥檚 Day gift plant, rock daphne (D. cneorum), a beautifully rounded little shrub with fragrant spring flowers.
Some outlets were hoping to have a few winter daphne (D. odora) plants, whose early spring flowers have a magically delectable floral perfume. Other nurseries had 鈥楨ternal Fragrance,鈥� a nicely shaped, compact shrub with repeat bloom. Some had 鈥楲awrence Crocker,鈥� a plant I spotted and bought at a Buckerfield鈥檚 store last spring. If you see a daphne on your garden centre visits, snap it up.
Another highly suitable 鈥渕emory鈥� plant for Mother鈥檚 Day, especially if Mother cooks with herbs, is rosemary. Perfect would be a container with an upright rosemary together with a creeping rosemary to trail over the edge. These plants are commonly available, and ideal for locating beside a deck, balcony or patio door for easy access all year round. In the language of flowers, rosemary signifies remembrance.
GARDEN EVENTS
Peninsula meeting. The Peninsula Garden Club will meet on Monday, May 14, at 7 p.m. in the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney. Lori Weidenhammer will present Saving our Friends, the Bees. Parlour show, plant stall, master gardeners, library access. Non-member drop-in fee $5.
HCP workshops for children. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd. in Saanich, is offering the following workshops on Saturday, May 19. To register call 250-479-6162. hcp,ca.
鈥� Building a Vertical Garden, for children age seven and up, 10 to 11:30 a.m. Parents are required to participate. Create a space-saving garden with edible plants and flowers. Bring garden gloves. $25 per child.
鈥� Concrete Hands Planters, for children five and up, 1 to 2:30 p.m. Get a bit messy making a hand-shaped planter that can be used for holding succulents to display on a step or table, or in a garden bed. Materials provided. $15 per child.
Flower show entries. The public is invited to submit entries, at no charge, to the Cowichan Valley Garden Club Flower Show on May 26. For details, tips and entry forms visit cowichanvalleygardenclub.com/spring-flower-show.
Entries invited. A similar invitation comes from the Mill Bay Garden Club for its Flower and Garden Show on May 26. For information and entry forms email [email protected].
