Gifts for mom sure to bloom
Your mom might be expecting a bouquet of roses for Mother’s Day, but how about surprising her with something different? Here are five other ways to give her flowers.
For Mother’s Day, surprise the mom in your life with a floral arrangement of a different type.
Create an elegant container garden. For a floral arrangement that will last all summer, find a healthy, sun-loving hanging basket overflowing with blooms at the garden nursery. Superbells, or calibrachoa, is a hardy South American relathat tive of the petunia loves the sun. Verbenas offer a profusion of showy flowers. Remove the hangers, gently take the plant from its basket and replant it in an elegant container. Hanging baskets might be more expensive (usually in the $16-$25 range), but they drape dramatically from the container. Houston Garden Center and Home Depot offer great prices on hanging baskets. For an elegant container, and a native plant to fill it, check out Joshua’s Native Plants, Buchanan’s, Enchanted Gardens or Cornelius Nursery.
Find her a signature fragrance. If your mother loves the heady scent of lemon blossoms, Dolce and Gabbana’s Light Blue Italian Zest might be for her. The floral, citrusy scent has the essence
of a lemon tree’s first blooms. The eau de toilette also has hints of cedar, Granny Smith apple, white rose and jasmine. It’s $100 at Dillard’s and Macy’s.
If tropical paradise is more her style, Hibiscus Palm from the Aerin Lauder Collection is a fragrant getaway. It has hints of tiare flower, frangipani petals, ginger and hibiscus. The body cream is $60 at Nordstrom.
Take her for a walk in a garden. On Mother’s Day, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is offering free admission for mothers and grandmothers during their visit to Bayou Bend and Rienzi, as well as the main campus. From 1-5 p.m. Sunday at Bayou Bend, there will be harp music, cookies and lemonade on the Diana Terrace. The Shop at Bayou Bend is offering a 20 percent discount on one item that day. Bayou Bend is at 6003 Memorial. At 5 p.m., Rienzi will host a Houston Grand Opera studio recital. Tickets are $40; 800-626-7372. Rienzi is at 1406 Kirby.
Set a beautiful table. Aerin Lauder has designed a blue, green and white floral tablescape for Williams Sonoma. The Ardsley line in the Aerin Collection includes a set of four mixed salad plates, $51.95; a set of four napkins, $39.95; and the Ardsley wine bucket with woven handle, $149.95.
Treat her to a flowery beverage. A special occasion calls for sparkling wine or craft cocktail. Sofia Brut Rosé Sparkling from Monterey County is a sweet sparkler with notes of pink grapefruit, strawberry, almond, a hint of honeysuckle — and lots of bubbles. It’s $19 at Total Wine.
And for the perfect bubbly glass, Riedel has a new collection. Fatto a Mano Pink, with a pink stem, is available in six bowl shapes— Cabernet, Old World Pinot Noir, Old World Syrah, Chardonnay, Riesling and Champagne, for $100 per stem.
The Rose Water Margarita is a perfect cocktail for celebrating the most important woman in your life. It’s made with Cointreau (the clear orange liqueur), tequila, a topper of bubbles and a few drops of rose water. Float a few petals on the top and hand it to mother: This bud’s for you.