Mother's Day Gifts for the Garden

Mother’s Day is celebrated at a most a glorious time in spring, when the Earth seems to burst open with beautiful colors and scents that remind us of life's true beauty. So what better way to show our moms—and other wonderful women in our lives—some love than with the gift of flowers and plants?

For those serious gardeners—whose badge of honor is well-worn garden gloves —there are gifts that just keep giving: vegetable plants, flats of annuals (waiting to be planted), shrubs and rose bushes. For moms who love the look, planters and baskets can be filled with almost every flower and small greenery.

In addition to plants themselves, garden accessories also make nice gifts. Try filling a nice summer straw bag with hat, gloves and a few lovely annuals in Mom’s favorite colors. A gardening tote with tools, gardening twine, stakes and a spray bottle is practical, while a gardening bucket with potting soil and a variety of seeds will do. Garden ornaments or accent pieces are fun, too, and come in all shapes and sizes like butterflies, birds, lanterns and colorful globes. Lovely and colorful decorative pots make marvelous gifts.

Hanging Baskets are always popular and the folks at Abma’s Farm (700 Lawlins Ave. in Wyckoff on the Franklin Lakes border) do a particularly fine job creating interesting combinations of flowers and vines.

“We grow all of our annuals,” says Jenny, Abma’s greenhouse manager and expert master gardener. “They are healthy and hardy because they are not damaged in transportation. They only travel a few feet from one of our five greenhouses to the display tables.”

Beautiful blooms delight the senses everywhere-tulips, petunias, verbena, ivies, million belles, coleus, geraniums plus perennials, vegetables and tables of every annual mom would ever want or need await the gift-giver at Abma’s.

Abma’s Farm and Nursery, long known for delicious baked goods, farm fresh vegetables, poultry, eggs and extensive country-themed gifts, also has an outdoor farm animal area; kids can feed bunnies, llamas and other  animals every time mom comes to shop. Abma’s expanded its nursery line about four years ago to make gardening needs a part of convenient one-stop shopping and to provide visitors with the enjoyable experience of a historic working farm. 

In Franklin Lakes, the Twinbrook Farm (706 Franklin Ave.) also has a greenhouse full of annuals, and a store complete with gardening tools, fertilizers, seeds and decorative gift items. Outside there are fields full of perennials, shrubs and trees plus a landscaping service for designing, implementation and maintenance of lawns and properties.

For the birding enthusiast, visit the Lorrimer Sanctuary (790 Ewing Ave.), whose gift shop is stocked full of bird houses, feeders, seeds and books. Any one of the volunteers will be happy to assist in both educating the novice or helping the more experienced in selecting something appropriate for any mom. Director Patrick Scheuer is usually on hand, as well. A nice stroll on their half-mile trail or a picnic under the pines is another Mother’s Day treat.

For gardening gift-givers who wish to venture a bit further, there is always Roshlers  (100 Franklin Turnpike in Allendale), Metropolitan Plant Exchange (840 Route 17 North in Paramus) or several local locations of Lowe's and The Home Depot for discounted items.