Springtime brings lots of gift-giving opportunities. Between Mother’s Day, graduations and weddings, you may find yourself doing quite a bit of shopping. Jewelry, countertop appliances or bouquets are the mainstays for these events, but consider a gift that will commemorate these milestones in a more sentimental way.
Live perennial plants, shrubs or even trees serve as a lasting reminder of the day. Imagine giving a new mom a fruit tree for her first Mother’s Day. Each year as she harvests the bounty, she will remember how she felt as a young mom, just starting the incredible journey of parenthood.
Give a newlywed couple a bulb garden, which will serve is a great visual reminder of their love when the flowers bloom each spring. Or gift a flowering shrub to soon-to-be empty nesters. After the kids have gone off to college, mom and dad will see the touching reminder every time they look in the garden.
Need some ideas for gift plants? Here are five to consider.
1. Amaryllis is often sold as a bulb in a decorative container. It will need watering to encourage the colorful display of flowers. Maintain an amaryllis as a houseplant or plant it in a garden for stunning spring color.
2. Shishi Gashira Camellia is a great option for Louisiana gardens. It’s not large and grows double rosy pink flowers from October to January.
3. Drift roses stay quite small — only about two-to-three feet in height and three feet in width. They flower from April to December in a variety of attractive colors.
4. Owari and Brown Select satsuma trees produce well in south Louisiana and are fairly easy to grow and maintain. Their fruit matures in November.
5. Rabbiteye blueberries grow very well on the Northshore where the soil is more acidic. To ensure pollination, plant at least two varieties near one another.
