The Best Mother's Day Gifts for Gardeners

The best Mother's Day gifts are not necessarily the most elaborate, expensive or unique. Simply put, the most memorable Mother's Day gifts are those that let Mom know you took the time to consider what she'd really like instead of just grabbing the first thing you saw in the store.

Fortunately, gifts for gardeners are plentiful, whether you shop online, from gardening catalogs, or at your local garden store. If you're lucky enough to have a Mom who loves to garden, then finding great Mother's Day gifts is largely a matter of knowing her personal gardening style.

Mother's Day Gifts for Gardeners: the living gift

If you have an eco-conscious Mom, consider giving her a living gift such as a basket of pre-planted flowering bulbs. The beautiful floral display will brighten her Mother's Day and last for many weeks; afterwards, she can plant this living gift in her garden where it will bloom again next year. A Cyclamen, African Violet, Peace Lily or other flowering plant is also a great living gift that lasts much longer than a bouquet of flowers would.

You could also get her a nice houseplant or two, then re-pot them in decorative containers. A kitchen herb garden with basil, chives, parsley, rosemary, thyme and other edible plants is a nice living gift that both gardeners and cooks appreciate. If your Mom has a vegetable garden, you could pick out a nice collection of tomato, pepper, cucumber and squash seedlings at the garden center.

Mother's Day Gifts for Gardeners: the whimsical gift

If your Mom's garden has as many decorative items as it does plants, then a whimsical gift to add to her collection is a great choice.These Mother's Day gifts are perhaps the easiest of all to choose, because the possibilities are practically endless. Look around her garden to see what her theme is, be it fairies, gnomes, cats, bunnies or birds.

If her garden décor doesn't have a theme, then look to see what kind of whimsical gift might fit in with what she already has. Maybe you'll notice a lot of one particular color or material, or the start of a collection of objects such as birdhouses, mushrooms or gazing balls. If there is no theme or recurring element, then choose a fun gift that suits your Mom's personality.

Mother's Day Gifts for Gardeners: the practical gift

Pragmatic Moms will appreciate a practical gift that fulfills a purpose or satisfies a need in the garden. Think "useful" rather than whimsical - such as, a good pair of gardening gloves, waterproof boots, hand tools, a garden tote, planter box, sun hat, padded knee cushion or watering can. If she loves to feed the backyard birds, a basket filled with ready-to-hang seed treats makes a nice practical gift.

Mother's Day Gifts for Gardeners: the frugal gift

If you're short on cash, a gift of your time is one that benefits both of you and your Mom. Give her a nice card and a handwritten gift certificate for mowing the lawn, weeding the flower bed, tilling the vegetable garden or any other garden chore that needs to be done. This frugal gift lets Mom spend her free time doing the more enjoyable parts of gardening, and you won't strain your budget.

Mother's Day Gifts for Gardeners: the extravagant gift

The flipside of a frugal gift is the extravagant gift, which can be anything that a thrifty Mom might love to have, but would never consider purchasing for herself. For example, Felco pruning shears are considered by many gardeners to be the gold standard of pruners. Though on the expensive side, with proper care these high-quality pruning shears will last a lifetime.

With so many great Mother's Day gifts for gardeners available today, choosing the perfect one for your Mom should be easy and fun.