White Cat Plant Stand Gift

The white cat plant stand gift next to the inspiration for the color, Margaret my 18-year old cat.

White Cat Plant Stand Gift

It was delightful to be on the recipient end of a charming and thoughtful birthday gift that came from spending time with a good friend. It's the kind of strategy I recommend to potential customers who call for gift ideas but aren't sure what to select. 

My Navy friend, Margaret, and I had visited the Missouri Botanical Garden a few months ago. During the visit, we stopped by a nearby garden store and I passed up buying a wire cat-shaped plant stand that had caught my eye. At the time I thought I would have to move and I didn't want yet another thing to pack.

Margaret, however, remembered the lingering stop. Months later, the metal cat stand showed up at my house, painted white in honor of her namesake, an 18-year old white Siamese-mix cat who keeps me company when she's not lounging on my deck supervising lizards.

Margaret, the friend, loves cats but is allergic to them so she gets to live vicariously through my feline adventures with her namesake. To think of all of these years laughing at Margaret the cat, I now have a reminder for my deck as well. 

In these days of rapid fire living, being a good listener can offer a number of gift suggestions.

Margaret friend sprayed the metal cat plant stand white to match the white cat named after her.

If you find something you like except for the color, spray paint it. This cat stand was the original grey metal. The white paint turned it into a custom gift with very little cost and effort.

Margaret the cat decides the photo shoot is over, she has lizards to watch.

Whether it's a gift you make, or one that you buy, making it personal doesn't have to be difficult. I can personally attest to how special this kind of gift can be!

Thank you, Margaret!

Charlotte

April Gift Flower: Daisies

One of the first wildflowers I learned to identify by its rosette shape was the oxeye daisy. According to Don Kurz, who wrote Ozark Wildflowers, ox-eye daisies were considered a sacred plant to the soldiers of Artemis in ancient Greece. The practice of picking the petals one by one, to find out if one is loved, dates back to medieval times.

Ox-eye daisies made the trip across the Atlantic along with European settlers in the 1600s.

In Europe, the young leaves are used in salads and soups.

Don't mix them with other flowers. Similar to daffodils, they put off a toxin that will make anything else in a vase with them wilt.

Daisies are April's gift flower. In Missouri, they tend to bloom in May so if you want to give them as a gift, you will need to visit a florist, or give a potted plant.

In the Language of Flowers, daisies represent youth and simplicity.

Ox-eye daisies in Bluebird Gardens ready to be transplanted to a better garden spot.

Regardless of what flowers are blooming each month, ox-eye daisies will bring sunshine to anyone who receives them.

Charlotte

June Gift Flower: Rose

If there is one flower that we associate with gift-giving it's a rose.

From miniature roses for baby showers to wreaths with roses at funerals, roses are the go-to gift flower for a variety of occasions.

In the Language of Flowers, roses are by far the most popular flower and appear in many different types, colors and combinations. Their meaning has also evolved over the years. Yellow roses, for example, stood for being untrustworthy to the Victorian but by the mid-20th Centurey had come to symbolize friendship.

In general, a rose symbolizes full blown love. A red rose signifies "I love you."

And for those of you who think more is better, sometimes one rose is all you need to give. A single rose is beautiful all on its own.

Charlotte

April Gift Flower: Daisies

These simple but happy flowers don't usually bloom in Missouri in April so I waited to get some good pictures.

When I first started learning to identify Missouri wildflowers, this was the second easiest plant to identify. Ox-eye daisies grow from a ground-hugging green wreath of a start, the leaves frilly around the edges. When they are ready to bloom, the stems seem to shoot up overnight.

When finished blooming, the stems dry and the little ground-hugging wreath returns.

There are a number of other daisy-like varieties on the market. Shasta daisies are the domesticated version of these wild cousins but to me, Ox-eye daisies will always be what I think of when someone says daisy.

In the Victorian "language of flowers," these cheerful white flowers represent beauty and innocence.

 Charlotte

May Gift Flower: Lilies of the Valley

The May gift flower is Lilies of the Valley, a small, sweet-looking but poisonous plant that likes part-sun and moisture.

A friend of mine refers to Lilies of the Valley as grandma's flowers because she always came across them when she visited her father's Mother's farm. 

In my garden, these small plants can get lost among the other plants in a flower bed so I plant them in their own separate spot between beds. That gives them room to expand, are protected from trampling and, when it's time to bloom mid-spring, they can stand out on their own.

In the Victorian era's "language of flowers," when messages were snuck into flower bouquets, Lilies of the Valley symbolized the return of happiness. I'm certainly happy when I see them because they mean the growing season has finally arrived!

  

Charlotte

March Gift Flower: Jonquil

The traditional gift flower for March is a jonquil, not to be confused with daffodil although sometimes the words are used interchangeably.

Jonquils have several flowers on a stem, usually a scent, and tube-like green leaves as opposed to flat daffodil leaves.

Although in Missouri both grow in abandoned home sites, they should not be confused with native wildflowers. Both jonquils, and daffodils, are imported flowers that grow from bulbs.

In the Victorian language of flowers, which was used to send secret messages in bouquets, a jonquil was a request to have affection returned.

Charlotte

Start to Save Seeds for Gifts

If you have an active garden friends admire, you can plan gifts that they'll appreciate. Save your heirloom and non-hybridized seeds; dry them and put them in marked envelopes with instructions.

Several years ago, I started collecting lined baskets that are perfect for seed drying. The lining holds seeds in and still allows air to flow through. I also keep a list of friends who have admired cut flowers I give them. Next year, they may just get favorite seeds so they can grow their own!

Charlotte

Propagate Plants for Gifts

One of the gifts my friends seem to really appreciate is a start from one of my plants.

Whether it's a rooted cutting from a Chrysanthemum or a start from one of my Christmas cactus plants, propagating plants can be a very nice and inexpensive gift idea.

If you are planning these gifts for a certain holiday, start 4-6 months before the event. Use new soil; thoroughly-washed pots and a root stimulator, available at most garden centers.

Make sure the cut you make on the donor plant is clean; dip into root stimulator, then place in a planting container with a good soil mix. Water. 

Put in a warm sunny spot or under grow lights and monitor. Depending on the plant, you should see a new green sprout within 4-6 weeks for most plants.

I used to try to remove the original plant. Now I leave it with the sprout so people can see it came from a cutting.

Charlotte