Gift Ideas for Mother's Day

Garden centres will be brimming with stunning Cyclamens for Mother’s Day. The flowers, which come in shades of pink, mauve, red and white, emerge from rosettes of deep green or mottled foliage. A potted cyclamen looks wonderful on a brightly lit protected deck or veranda and can also be brought indoors for a few hours each day. To keep Cyclamen looking their best for longer, keep the potting mix moist (but not wet) and until the foliage starts to die back in Spring, feed every one to two weeks with Yates Thrive Roses & Flowers Liquid Plant Food.

Often called ‘mums’, Chrysanthemums are a traditional Mother’s Day flower. From pale pastel pinks and mauves to vibrant yellows and oranges, you can choose Mum’s favourite colour. Dwarf Chrysanthemums are perfect for pots and will provide months of floral colour. The key to prolonging the flower show is to keep the potting mix moist, feed every 1-2 weeks with Yates Thrive Roses & Flowers Liquid Plant Food and regularly trim off spent flowers.

Dianthus is a large plant family that includes Carnations. These short-lived perennials are famous for their gorgeous flowers with a spicy clove-like fragrance. A pot of Carnations will delight Mum for weeks!

Moth Orchids (Phalaenopsis spp.), with their exquisite arching flower stems, make an impressive Mother’s Day gift. Orchids may seem daunting to grow, but by following a few simple steps, Orchids are the gift that can keep on giving! They need a brightly lit position out of direct sunlight, a well-drained pot with an orchid-specific potting mix like Yates Specialty Potting Mix for Orchids and feeding every two to four weeks with Yates Thrive Orchid Liquid Plant Food.

In addition to Moth Orchids, there are other indoor plants that put on a beautiful flower show and make an impressive Mother’s Day present.

Anthuriums, also called Flamingo Flowers, are leafy plants with burgundy, red, pink or white waxy heart shaped flowers.

Lush Peace Lilies, with their attractive white flowers, are hardy and a great choice for a beginner gardener.

And African Violets are making a comeback! Perfect for Mum’s windowsill, these super pretty plants come in a rainbow of flower colours.

And if Mum is keen on something edible, how about a pot of herbs? A rustic terracotta pot planted with a combination of Mediterranean herbs like Rosemary, Thyme, Sage and Oregano is a practical and fragrant gift.

A gift bag filled with colourful flower seeds is a lovely idea and will provide many months of sowing and growing enjoyment. Some of the prettiest flowers for Mum (that can be sown in May) include Yates Forget Me Not Little Bluebird, a mix of crisp white blooms in Yates Accent on White, sweetly scented Yates Sweet Pea Potted Fragrance and Yates Butterfly Field Beneficial Insect Mix.

Keep Mum flower-inspired with a book dedicated to growing scented plants. Yates Top 50 Fragrant Plants and How NOT to Kill Them contains handy information about how to grow 50 of the most beautifully fragrant plants. From annuals and bulbs to perennials, climbers, trees and shrubs, there’s a fragrant plant for every space and every gardening Mum.

Grab a decorative box or basket and fill it with gardening items for a gardening-themed gift.

If you are getting a plant, pair it with a Yates Thrive plant food – that way, she already has everything she needs to keep her plants growing and looking healthy.

Terrariums are miniature gardens that look fantastic in places such as the centrepiece for a table, placed on a shelf, or on the kitchen bench. You can make one yourself, or find one ready-made at your local garden centre.

For the more zen-gardener, Bonsais are decorative trees that have been pruned to keep their small shape. Bonsais are available from garden centres, and specialist Bonsai nurseries.

If Mum is a novice gardener, start her with a Fig tree as they are one the easiest and most interesting Bonsai specimens. Other common examples of plants that are often bonsaied include Japanese Maples, Cotoneaster, Azalea, and Junipers.

With so many different species and varieties, you can never have too many cacti or succulents. They need minimal care, and grow well in the garden or a pot.

Create a mixed planter, or simply wrap up a single-potted one.