Mother’s Day is coming up soon, which means a lot of children, grandchildren, etc.

will begin the annual “what do I get her?” trip to the store.

But I think I have come up with the perfect alternative gift idea, that almost any Mom or Grand-mom would like, and it’s:

Creative

Personalized

Sentimental

Beautiful

Celebrates Family

Inexpensive

Eco-friendly

Memorable

and

Requires Minimal Effort

So, what more do we need, right? Exactly! 🙂

This is an idea I came up with recently, while cleaning my own “Mother’s Ring”.

If you’re not familiar with a Mother’s Ring, it features the birthstones of a Mother’s (or Grandmother’s) children.

So, my immediate thought was… why not create the same thing in a pretty pot or garden bed to use as a sentimental Mother’s Day gift by grouping flowers or plants that represent each birthstone?

My next thought was how fun it would be if all of the involved family members met at the local D.I.Y. or Garden Shop to choose their own birthstone-representative flower or plant.  All each person will need is a small amount of money and to know their own birthstone color.  [birthstone chart below for your convenience].  And if budgets allow… include a meal together in the outing.

It would be best if you created this Birthstone Garden using perennial flowers & plants, so they (and the memory) last longer than one season; and to make it easy, perennial flowers are usually in marked containers.

If you choose to plant them in Mom’s or Grandma’s garden, you might also want to consider adding the flowers around the base of a tree… bringing in the idea of a “family tree”, surrounded by a sentimental & meaningful garden of birthstone flowers and plants.

Whichever way you choose to present it, please make sure the family creates the garden so the gift doesn’t create additional work for Mom/Grand-mom.  And a nice touch is to add plant markers with each family member’s name, either written on it or created using stick-on letters (found in craft stores), and placed in the center of their birthstone flower or plant.  If your garden reflects an only child/grandchild, choosing several flowers of the same color, but in different textures, would be stunning!

Don’t live near your Mom or Grandmother?  No problem!  Simply send the same representative color grouping of flowers or plants, using a florist, or in the form of a gift wrapped box of flower bulbs.  If you use a florist, ask them to add-in extra greeting card holders, attaching a note card to each one, with the name of the corresponding child/grandchild.  This might take a bit of extra explanation (when you first call the florist), but it will be well worth your time…. just imagine being on the receiving end of something this unique & sentimental!!!

For those of you who have lost their Mom, creating this in your yard would be a nice tribute to your own family tree, and sharing a photo of your creation with your extended family would be the perfect finishing touch.

Anyway, if you decide to try my unique gift idea, I think it would be a great, new family tradition… one that could be added to, each Mother’s Day.

Happy Mother’s Day and Enjoy the Creativity!

BIRTHSTONE CHART (Keep in mind that there are 2nd and sometimes, 3rd choices for each birth month & this info can be found on the web):