What to buy the gardener in your life on Mothering Sunday

This is very far from the average post from me, but it was heard said during the week that I am difficult to buy gifts for and once that had been dug into a little, ( no apologies for the garden puns) what it actually meant was, I have no clue what you might want because it's a mile away from my comfort zone. So here goes.

A glorious bouquet of British grown blooms, that are not difficult to source as long as you are aware of where to look! Both Flowers From The Farm and the British Flower Collective websites will send you in the right direction.

A plant. Not rocket science but us garden folk love our plants and this is the time of year to get our there and start looking at any new purchases. I am very good at leaving the David Austen catalogue open at the page with my newest desire on, but in reality just ask what they might like! And then pop onto the Independent Plant Nursery Guide to find your local nursery that stocks said plant. Easy!!

A gift voucher. There are always things we look at longingly but would never buy ourselves and gift vouchers always make me splash out on things I want rather than what I feel I need. National Garden Gift Vouchers are accepted at a huge variety of garden centres, nurseries and garden shops, or if you know the gardener in your life to be particularly fond of a certain online garden store, buy those! Crocus, Sarah Raven, Chiltern Seeds to name a few offer vouchers but there are many, many more who do.

A Gardening Course. Whether it's Flower Farming for Beginners at Common Farm Flowers, or a day with Charles Dowding, lots and lots and lots of people are now offering amazing days where you not only learn loads but also have a thoroughly amazing time in the process!! You could even send them to us at Incredible Edible Bristol!!

Books and Magazine Subscriptions. I can't even begin to suggest books or we will be here for an age, but great gardening books appear all the time. If you aren't sure about what she has, or are pretty sure she has what she wants, look at a magazine subscription. Often as a subscriber you get special offers so if you know a certain publication gets flung into the shopping trolley monthly, order her that! There are also a fair few independent magazines now, such as Rakes Progress, that are only available in specialist shops, so that's a great alternative to the mainstream magazines.

A Promise.......What most of us want is to spend time with our children, be they 5 or 45. Time is our most precious gift, and in our busy lives we often forget that. So particularly if you are an adult child, the promise of a day out in the summer to a garden of your choice is a gift that no money can buy. Whether you choose a local garden opening for the NGS or a big garden belonging to the National Trust or similar, spending time in a garden with the people you love cannot be beaten.

For some Mothering Sunday is a difficult time. Difficult family dynamics, loss and more can mean for many what is meant to be a glorious day celebrating motherhood, is one of sadness and despair. If you know someone who you might just suspect is in this group, engage them in your day if you can. Maybe get them into a garden, give them some time, a hug, a cuppa. Mothering Sunday is as much about kindness as anything else and no amount of gifts will ever make up for that kindness, whether it's from your own children, friends or others. Never underestimate it!!

And as a quick FYI no one has paid me to advertise their wares here, and other gifts are available!!