A Gift from Your Garden

Looking for a unique, personal and affordable gift this holiday season?  Consider something from your garden. 

Many gardeners collect seeds from their favorite heirloom flowers or vegetables.  Consider packaging a few to share with family and friends.  Decorate a label, the envelope, or a small airtight container.  Be sure to label the package with the plant name and date.  Include planting and spacing information as well as the light, soil and moisture the plant prefers.  You might even include a photo of the plant growing in your garden.

Or take a cutting from your favorite houseplant or the Christmas cactus, jade plant, ivy or other plant passed down through generations in your family.  Place a 4-inch cutting in a container with drainage holes filled with moist well-drained potting mix.  Consider decorating the container with paint or permanent markers and be sure to provide tips on rooting, transplanting, and care.

A bit more information:  Or give the gift of spring this season.  Pot up spring flowering bulbs like daffodils and tulips that didn’t get planted this fall.  Plant several bulbs in a container filled with a well-drained potting mix.  Water thoroughly and place in the refrigerator for 15 weeks to initiate bloom.  Be sure to provide directions including:  

• the number of weeks that remain of chilling
• once fully chilled, move plants to a cool sunny place and water thoroughly when the soil is slightly moist.