It’s amazing how making just a small change and adding simple elements can completely transform a plant or gift. I find when giving a gift of any kind, presentation is everything. People really do notice the small details that are put into a gift selected just for them!
In terms of plants, it could be as easy as knowing the recipient’s favorite color and selecting a flowering plant of that color or decorative foil - and of course cellophane wrap and bow. I like using natural colored raffia instead of conventional ribbon because it presents a more earthy feel. There are many types of mosses available, such as reindeer moss (which grows wild on the Cape and forms a soft carpet), as well as mood and sheet moss. Each individual moss will give a slightly different look, it just depends on style and ascetics. River pebbles and stones will add color, texture and interest. Mosses and stones can also be used in conjunction with each other, especially when planting a collection of plants or making a terrarium. Branches such as birch and curly willow are great year round and will give nice vertical height. There are also other materials available during different times of the year, like cinnamon sticks! I also frequent craft stores to pick up fun stamps, ink pads in assorted colors and letter blocks to customize holidays, occasions and recipients names. They also carry card stock in beautiful prints and I cut them into gift tags. Try Michaels, A.C. Moore, Rugg Road Paper Company (Charles St. in Boston) and my all time favorite, The Paper Source, on Mass Ave in Cambridge. With the exception of Rugg Road, all others have multiple locations.
Here are some seasonal suggestions..
Winter: hellebores, also known as the Lenten or winter rose, are quite lovely. They can be dressed up with winter berry branches and planted into a mossy clay pot. Simple and very elegant. I also like to tuck in a seasonal element such as pinecones. Paperwhites and amaryllis bulbs are always great. They can be either planted up ready to go, or presented as “kits” .. a container, rocks or soil and the loose bulbs for the recipient to plant up themselves. The great thing about paperwhites is that they can either grow directly in water with rocks, or in soil in a pot with a drainage hole. Amaryllis are perfect for those with a fragrance sensitivity and can be saved year after year. (Check out the blog on forcing bulbs for more details) (I”LL ADD LINK)
Spring: pansies are the most cold tolerant annual, and there is just something about them that I find jovial and uplifting. Maybe it was watching them dancing in Fantasia? Try finding an old, low crate at an antique store and fill it with one color of pansies. The color-blocking is a very effective presentation. Miniature daffodils like “Tete a Tete” can also be used. They are such cheerful flowers, and the best part is that they can be planted in the ground afterwards and will reappear every spring.
Summer: a themed herb garden!! Last year I planted up clay dishes and selected specific herbs that are commonly used in regional cooking such as “greetings from Bombay” and “ a taste of Tuscany” then I hand labeled each individual herb on galvanized zinc labels. They were a huge hit.
Fall: oh where to begin! Fall is my favorite time of year.. I like to take old wooden window boxes and paint them fun colors, such as purple, magenta and muted orange. Then I fill them with sedums, dwarf conifers and annuals such as diascia, nemesia, pansies and calibrachoa (million bells) these particular annuals are cold tolerant and have smaller flowers which stay in scale with the sedums. (check out the blog on “thinking outside the mum” for additional plant suggestions and lots of pictures)
I also love all things birds, and will occasionally tuck in a bird or a little nest, to be discovered later.
I hope you have enjoyed my fun suggestions!!
PHOTOS AND CAPTIONS SENT:
“A Hellebore and an orchid with winterberry, reindeer moss and river stones accents. I love the way they look in the mossy pots. The pine cones add a nice, seasonal touch.”
This is the clay pot I used for the themed herb gardens, along with the zinc labels. I like this particular shaped pot because it is smooth, simple and footed.
These are just a couple of samples of the pretty card stock that I have found at craft stores. Some of them even have different patterns on either side.
letter blocks, bird stamps and colored ink pads, oh my!! These are some of my beloved staples. I also like to tea stain manila tags to achieve a more antiqued effect. You can see a distinct difference between the two in the photo.
her garden holds a carpet of sweet woodruff and lysmachia, plus goat’s beard, astilbe and houttuynia. Every year she plants a window box filled with her very favorite flower, sweet peas. She describes the fragrance as “transcendent”.
