A gift that keeps on giving
W
ITH the holiday season looming large, lots of us will be racking our brains for a few suitable thank-you gifts to take when we stay with friends and relations.
The “old faithfuls” – flowers, chocolates and wine – are fine in their own way but a less predictable present creates a lasting impression and if your family or friends are plants and garden people you can do better.
If you are staying for several days why not turn up with a basket of fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit from your own garden? It is a great way to make a token contribution to your host’s housekeeping budget without causing offence.
Good presentation turns a rather practical gift into something special so pack everything prettily in a large wicker basket with some cellophane and ribbon, or make up your own hand-delivered “organic box scheme” by using a cardboard box or wooden crate cushioned with straw and tied with raffia.
Giving expensive garden plants as gifts can be fraught with problems unless you know your host’s interests so do some homework first to be sure of picking a winner. A phone call is a good excuse for an innocent chat about gardening plans as a friend will often let slip that they have been looking for a particular plant.
Then just turn up with it and make them feel truly treasured. Should they have just put in a new feature – perhaps a pond, conservatory or herb garden – there is another ready-made opportunity to find something fitting. It might be a special plant, a stunning container or a small but useful accessory that people rarely buy for themselves.
Another good thing to do if you are a keen plant propagator is to raid your nursery bed or greenhouse and put together a boxful of young plants that you have raised yourself from seeds or cuttings. But make sure they are all well rooted, presentably potted and growing nicely.
A really showy flowering pot plant always goes down well so it might be worth raising a few large fuchsias, pelargoniums or tuberous begonias, especially for use as gifts through the summer.
For the really keen plantsmen among your friends it pays to have a few spare “collectables” they will not already have: maybe penstemons, alpines or unusual dwarf perennials.
But whatever you choose the key thing is to make sure they are properly labelled.
A choice plant will go down far better with an enthusiast when it comes complete with its correct botanical name.
But don’t stop there. When you are there for a longish stay, leave a parting gift behind.
By that point it will be easier to choose because you will have seen your host’s garden and caught up on their latest planting schemes.
It will be a great excuse to explore a nearby garden centre or specialist nursery to take time to choose something that your friends will love but would never have splashed out on for themselves.
And you will probably find a few treasures to take home with you too as mementoes.
LET YOUR PATCH LEND A HELPING HAND