Top plants for Mother's Day gifts

The effort, love, support and protection that mothers offer should be recognised on a daily basis, but it is nice to be able to take advantage of a special date to prepare a special detail to celebrate and thank them for their presence in our lives. Mother's Day is the perfect excuse to shower her with attention and celebrate everything they do for you with a gift, and there is nothing like a plant to express everything you feel. There are plants with special meanings, and unlike flowers, they last much longer. Whether your mother is a plant fanatic or just starting out in this world, you're sure to find the perfect species in this list of the top plants to give as a Mother's Day gift.

why do we celebrate Mother's Day?

You may have heard that Mother's Day is a commercial date, but the truth is that it has an older origin. The first such celebrations were in ancient Greece, when the Romans honoured the goddesses Rhea and Cybele, the Mothers of the Gods and the Earth, in festivals. Later, in the UK,Mothering Sunday was celebrated in the early 19th century. This celebration was on the fourth Sunday of Lent and people were invited to go to their home village church (the mother church) for a special rite. Later this celebration spread across the continent, leaving aside the religious aspect and becoming a more familiar date.

In Spain the first time there is talk of celebrating Mother's Day is on the initiative of a Valencian civil servant and poet named Julio Menéndez García, who in 1925 publishes the Hymn to the Mother in a pamphlet. This is adopted locally and unofficially in different regions; but it is done on different dates. In 1939 it was decided to do so on December 8, which was the day of the Immaculate Conception.

In the sixties some department stores began to suggest celebrating the date with the rest of the world, to compete with the other department stores that celebrated it in December, so for several years it was celebrated twice a year, until the church decided to intervene in the matter in 1965 and left the date fixed on the first Sunday of May, which is the month consecrated to the Virgin Mary.

Flowers and Mother's Day

At the beginning of the 20th century an American woman named Anna Jarvis started a tradition in honour of her late mother, to overcome the pain of her loss. They grew a beautiful garden full of white carnations, which were her favourite flower, so she decided to cut them and donate them to her congregation, to be given to the mothers who attended the church service. The following year, the church decided to continue the tradition on Mother's Day and soon this idea was copied by other congregations, turning the white carnation into a symbol of motherhood.

On the other hand, floral offerings have always been considered ideal gifts for the Virgin Mary as they are a symbol of life, purity and motherhood. In addition, these celebrations cross in the month of May, which is also the season of flowers, making them the perfect gift for mothers.

Plants for Mother's Day gifts

Bouquets of flowers are magnificent, beautiful gifts that can be loaded with meaning but their lifespan is quite limited; not to mention that they are part of the typical cliché of these dates and as common as the gift of household appliances. If you want to strip away the commercial nature that has been imbued over the years, the best option is to offer a gift whose meaning is more closely linked to the individual's personal experience or, better still, create your own traditions with the personal symbolism you wish to express.

Plants are great gifts for Mother's Day as they have that natural touch of flowers but won't die after a few weeks, they will continue to grow. I love the fact that they are living things, so they are gifts that will transform over time, getting bigger and bigger and I find that a nice analogy of the bond between mother and children.

That said, if your mother likes plants it will be easy to see if she has a predilection for any particular species (because there are collectors of succulents, calatheas or begonias, for example); but if this is not the case or if you simply want to surprise her with something new, you can give her any of these plants:

• Orchids

Orchids are plants that have a lot of meanings. First of all, they are considered opulent, luxurious flowers that always represent beauty and strength. They are an elegant, upscale gift, expressing the purest and highest love. In ancient Greece they were associated with motherhood and were used to choose the sex of the baby. It was believed that if the father of the baby ate the large bulbs of an orchid, the baby would be a boy, but if he ate small bulbs, it would be a girl.

Colour also has particular meanings. A pink orchid symbolises pure and unquestioning love. While they can be given as a gift between couples, they are suitable as a gift to a mother because there is no more eternal and boundless love than that of a mother. White orchids are elegant, pure and sophisticated, perfect for chic mothers, while violet or purple orchids symbolise prudence, wisdom and justice. The two-coloured orchids, such as the tiger orchid, take on the meaning of the two colours they have.

Although they have a reputation for being fickle, the truth is that caring for orchids is not that complicated. You should place it in a place where it receives a lot of indirect light, water it once a week by immersion and spray its leaves a couple of times a week. If you combine this with a well-drained mineral substrate, you have everything to make it grow happily.

• Bonsai

Bonsais are not a species of plant but miniature trees that retain this size thanks to an ancient Japanese technique. Regardless of their species, bonsais are symbols of eternity, of patience, of love, they are a link between the soul and nature. When you give a bonsai as a gift, you are conveying positive wishes for health, longevity, happiness, tranquillity and years of peaceful and blissful retirement. A bonsai is a living work of art.

Bonsai care will depend on the species purchased. Almost all prefer plenty of direct or indirect light, moderate watering and a special substrate. There are some that will require wiring, while others are well formed and do not need much special care. There are bonsai to suit all tastes and lifestyles, so you are sure to find one that is perfect for your beloved mother.

• Kalanchoe

Kalanchoe blosfeldiana is a popular succulent for its beautifully coloured flowers, which can be almost every colour of the rainbow. It usually flowers in winter, although it is possible to force it during the rest of the year. The flowers can last up to 8 weeks intact, while the plant is very hardy and easy to care for, so it symbolises the beauty of eternal love and persistence, but can also be a symbol of wealth and prosperity. Both meanings make it a lovely gift for Mother's Day.

What I like most about Kalanchoe is that it is a visually appealing plant, beautiful with its contoured leaves and hundreds of colourful flower buds. If you get one of the Calandiva variety, then you will have flowers in double clusters that look like little miniature roses because of the arrangement of their petals. the best part? They are easy to care for. As a succulent it requires little watering, indirect light and a well-drained substrate. Once you take care of these details, it will stay perfect without much help.

• Begonia Betulia

Begonias are classic balcony and garden plants, comprising a large number of species divided into three groups: sempreflorens, rhizomatous and tuberous. Begonia Betulia belongs to the sempreflorens group and is characterised by its continuous flowering, provided the conditions are right. Begonias are considered to symbolise individuality, gratitude and respect. If they are red, they can also symbolise love.

Native to tropical and subtropical areas, they prefer brightly lit but indirect sunlight to avoid burning their flowers and leaves. They need a lot of humidity, so they should be sprayed regularly and watered by immersion when you see that the substrate is beginning to dry out.

• Anthurium

Red anthuriums are beautiful, exotic and bright flowers, with a deep red shade that is very striking. Traditionally this plant symbolises kindness, happiness and hospitality, as well as a special, long-lasting love, as the flowers can last up to 6 weeks after being cut from the plant. As if that wasn't enough, it is one of the plants listed by NASA as the best environmental purifiers.

Its red flowers are heart-shaped, making it a typical gift to express love and affection on Valentine's Day. In fact, it is believed that the tips of Cupid's arrows were made of red anthuriums. According to Feng-shui, because of the shape of its buds, it is a plant that attracts prosperity and good luck to all relationships. For it to grow in all its splendour it should be in indirect light, be watered frequently and you have to provide it with a very humid environment. Protect it from drafts and it will be ready to fill your beautiful mother's home with love for a very long time.

• Lavender

We are all familiar with the delicious and relaxing scent of lavender, but what escapes many is the deeper meaning of this aromatic plant. Lavender flowers represent purity, devotion, sincerity, serenity and calm. Its colour also symbolises elegance, refinement and a spiritual connection. It is the ideal gift for mothers who are in the midst of a spiritual quest or awakening, but also for those who need a little help dealing with stress and anxiety. Its soothing aroma can help combat insomnia and its dried buds can be used to prepare infusions, sachets and even essential oils.

Caring for lavender is quite simple, as it is a very hardy plant. It requires a well-drained substrate, because excess humidity is its worst enemy. Direct light is very good for it, especially because it stimulates its flowering, although it can adapt to any type of environment. It is not very demanding with the level of humidity, but you should always be careful with watering.

• Carnations

Thanks to the gesture of Anna Jarvis, who helped to consolidate Mother's Day as an official date by President Woodrof Wilson, the carnation has become the official Mother's Day flower, especially the white carnation. Anna herself would say that these flowers symbolise the virtues of motherhood: their colour denotes purity; their long life is fidelity; their fragrance is a symbol of love; their extensive growing fields are synonymous with charity; and their shape is beauty.

The legend of this flower in Spain relates them to the Virgin Mary, who on seeing Jesus on the cross let her tears fall, which on touching the ground were transformed into carnations. A direct symbol of a mother's love for her child. Being the national flower of Spain, it will not be difficult to find and care for one of these plants. They require a lot of direct sun and a well-drained substrate. Watering should be frequent, especially in the warm seasons, at least 3 times a week but without puddling; reduce the frequency of watering in the cold season to 2 times a week.