Choose Your Country
Sometimes, selecting a gift, I want to send more than just a solitary thing. I look at the choices and either cannot decide or find that picking just one does not say quite what I want the gift to say.
For example, I love amaryllis, but wanted to say the recipient is really special. While one bulb will do that, sort of, sending more is, well, more exuberant. So I send two or three separate bulbs, not just one. And I enjoy choosing carefully: all the same color or complementary colors or colors that seem to clash? Likewise, I consider whether to get identical pots or quite different ones. Depends on the recipient, of course.
For others, especially those friends and relatives that love Christmas but have so many decorations they do not need any more, I send evergreens. Especially, a pine wreath for the table and a swag for atop the sideboard. That spruces up this year's decorating, but the recipients will not have to store anything more. Sending two pieces lets me contribute coordinated holiday decorations that are simple, bright, and fragrant.
Midwinter gets many people down. All those chilly short days. So, I love sending tropical flowers hibiscus (red or pink) and calla lilies (white), perhaps with a bromeliad as well. This reminds my friends and relatives of the flowers of beloved vacations, whether in Florida, Hawaii, or beyond. Such a joy to receive, they give the days spectacular tropical vibes when it is dreary and cold out.
Some of my relatives do not see very well, though they may not admit it. For them, I try to provide gifts that please other senses as well. Floral gifts are great for that. I like a wreath or a garland with the wonderful scent of evergreens, with a pot of gardenias, for their very different, wonderful fragrances. The contrast—not just in scent, but in color and texture—is great.
For my gardening friends and relatives, I like to combine living plants they can grow long after the holidays. Some plants are easy to maintain, others are difficult. Consequently, I like to combine one hard and one easy. For example, I combine a pair of pots of paperwhite narcissus with a red Christmas cactus. The paperwhites are readily transplanted outside to become yard plants. The Christmas cactus is easy to keep alive but tricky to get to flower again. So I have sent a gardening success and a gardening challenge. Another good combination are rose plants in red or yellow or pink, not hard to maintain indoors and lovely in the garden, paired with the sweet-smelling juniper or rosemary bonsai the gardener has admired for years but never yet owned.
One can always do two of the same gift, or three if you find that more pleasing, but I prefer diversity. Either way, I find gift sets more satisfying and with greater impact than a solitary gift.
A former Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Kathy's specialties range from studies of prairie plants to grass genetics to ant-plant interactions. After retirement, Kathy traveled extensively. Wherever her travels have taken her, she sees the plants first and then notices the monuments. More quietly retired now, Kathy gardens. A hobby she has enjoyed since childhood, in states across North America. She loves the differences between plants and recognizing the factors and growing conditions each requires.
Writing for Park Seed, Jackson & Perkins, and Wayside Gardens lets Kathy describe her deep enjoyment of the natural world and share information about plants that will assist and enchant you. Since February 2017 Kathy's blog, A Wandering Botanist, has been listed as one of 50 Best Blogs for Botanists and Plant Scientists by feedspot.com.
