Great gardening gift ideas for Mother's Day

Whether Mom loves to spend the day puttering around in the garden or she's looking for a new hobby to get her outside and moving, a gardening related gift could be just the thing to brighten her Mother's Day. Here are some great gift ideas Mom will adore.

From decorative garden ornaments to helpful tools for planting, there are a number of great gifts you can find to give your Mom this year.

Sometimes a few simple items are all you need to kick-start a hobby. If Mom has expressed an interest in gardening but "never gotten around to it," then one of the best gifts to get her is a gardening starter kit. You'll have no problem assembling all the items at your local home improvement centre, although sometimes you can purchase them pre-made.

• Pre-made kits usually include a number of seed packets for flowers, fruits or vegetables. Basic gardening equipment is also included. Some will come with mini pots and soil to let your Mom get started planting right away.
• Another approach is to buy a colourful oversize watering can (or pail) and fill it with all the same items that you selected yourself.  It allows you to make the gift more personal and add other items that may not be otherwise included such as gardening gloves, fertilizer spikes and perhaps even a small sign that says, "Mom's Garden".

Any gardener knows the value of a good set of gloves, and not the cheapest ones you can buy (although some people swear by them).

• Quality gloves that fit properly not only protect your hands, they also allow you to gently handle plants so you don't damage fragile seedlings or accidentally tear tender roots.

From filling small pots on a patio to a large backyard garden, gloves will help keep Mom's hands clean and blister-free. They're also sold in a variety of colours and styles.

• If Mom gardens well into the fall, you can even get insulated gloves!

Gardening often involves getting down on your hands and knees in order to dig in the soil, plant seeds and prune flowers.

• A padded garden kneeler can help ensure that Mom's knees don't get hurt while she's tending her plants. What's more, they provide a comfortable place to kneel and side handles to help her get up and down easily.

Some models combine a bench feature so that Mom can sit comfortably. And for those times it isn't being used? Certain models even fold away.

If your Mom grows any herbs in her garden, herb scissors are just the thing to help her use them in her cooking.

• Herb scissors are a special kind of shears that have multiple blades.
• Usually made of stainless steel, they make it simple to finely chop parsley, chives, oregano or other fresh herbs for use in a variety of dishes.

If your Mom likes to travel or take weekend trips now and then, consider getting get her an automatic plant watering kit.

• Although they range in design and complexity, the simplest ones are hollow spikes containing a water reservoir that are inserted into potted plants so the water trickles into the soil. That way the plant gets watered while Mom is away. The system is also used for outdoor plants.

Gardening is a great hobby and a lovely way to get some exercise and enjoy the great outdoors. If your mom loves to garden, one of these gift ideas is sure to make her Mother's Day extra special.