Mother’s Day is officially May 8, 2022, so it’s time to snag some extra special gifts for the gardening moms, grandmas and other mother figures in your life. Here’s a little inspiration.
Pet-Friendly Plants
Run by a Florida-based, mother-daughter duo, Verdant Lyfe ships carnivorous plants, ferns, succulents, cacti and more throughout the U.S. They source their specialty houseplants from Florida farms that use organic and sustainable growing methods.
The “Tiny Treasure” mini pineapple plant is one of the more unusual ornamentals you’ll find included in Verdant Lyfe’s Pet-Friendly Plant Collection. Ananas nanus produces a teensy pineapple at its top and is well-suited for full sun container gardens. Mature plants can grow from 2 to 4 foot high with a 2- to 3-foot spread.
Verdant Lyfe’s mini pineapple plant is available in a standard nursery pot or a fancier porcelain planter. Cost ranges from $35 to $59 plus shipping. And, for a little extra, you can include a pink acrylic “MOM” plant decoration, too.
Read more: Establish a pollinator corridor in your neighborhood!
Signs of the Times
Moms who garden for birds, butterflies and bees just might appreciate the Xerces Society’s attractive, conservation-related signs. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation offers two different, full-color signs suitable for mounting in her garden.
The 9-by-10-inch “Pollinator Habitat” sign features a floral scene complete with monarch butterfly and a bumble bee. It also includes the message, “Planted for pollinators and protected from pesticides.” (They have a Spanish language version of this sign as well.)
The Xerces Society also offers a 9-by-10.5-inch “Leave the Leaves” sign—perfect for moms who’ve hung up their leaf rakes for good. “Leave the Leaves” includes artwork of fallen leaves and assorted caterpillars as well as the text, “Leaves are not litter. They are food and shelter for butterflies, beetles, bees, moths, and more.”
Each sign is available with a $57 donation plus shipping. Your donation helps support this nonprofit organization’s international conservation work.
Scrub-a-Dub-Dub
Help Mom clean up after a long day in the garden with Gardener’s Scrub soap from The Mad Optimist. The handcrafted bar soap is packed with peppermint essential oil and super-scratchy fennel seed—great for removing extra-stubborn garden grime.
The Mad Optimist offers pay-what-you-want pricing, with soaps starting at $6 each plus shipping.
If you prefer, you can customize something just for Mom instead. Simply choose your own mix of scents and exfoliants, pick your soap label art, and name your soap. You can also create custom lip balms, bath soaks, or body sprays.
Orders ship in 14 days or less.
Read more: Make your own DIY herbal lip balm with this recipe!
Handy Tools
Based in Oregon, the folks behind Red Pig Garden Tools are “the only blacksmiths in the United States specializing in hand-forged garden tools.” Red Pig makes both long- and short-handled gardening tools of all types, including hoes, cultivators, trowels and weeders, among others—all of which are sure to make special Mother’s Day gifts for growers.
Super-sharp and durable, the “Hole About” and the “Bigger Holeabout” are just a couple of the hand tools worth a look.
“For many years we have produced a forged transplanting trowel dubbed a ‘Hole About,’ because it makes a hole about 2 or 3 inches in diameter,” the makers explain. The larger version creates holes between 3 and 6 inches around.
Red Pig’s Hole About sells for $40. The Bigger Holeabout is $45. Orders can take a week or more to ship.
Cover Up!
Your favorite gardener can stay extra neat and a little more organized with the “No. 448” gardening apron. Handmade by Artifact in Omaha, Nebraska, this professional-grade, water-repellant apron features an adjustable (and removable) leather strap. It’s made from 10-ounce waxed canvas and includes upper pockets for small items and a deeper, divided lower pocket.
Available in regular and extra-large sizes and tan, slate or black, the apron costs $120 plus shipping. And, for a bit more, Artifact’s makers will even monogram it.
You can help protect your mom’s skin—and keep the sun out of her eyes—with Coolibar’s Etta Shapeable Sun Catcher Hat. With an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) rating higher than 50, this hat can block 98 percent of the sun’s damaging UVA and UVB rays.
The Etta Shapeable Sun Catcher has a shapeable brim, adjustable chin strap, and comes in black, tan or white. One size fits most. The hat is hand-washable and costs $49 plus shipping.
Also $49 plus shipping, the Flora Gardening Hat is one other good option from Coolibar. Unlike the Etta Shapeable Sun Catcher, the Flora is spot-clean-only. But it is UPF-rated 50+ and features an extra-wide brim for more neck coverage.
The Flora includes a sweatband, cotton-lined crown and chin strap. It comes in black, natural or blue and sizes S/M or L/XL.
