Memorable Gifts for Mom

Thank you for all the wonderful e-mails describing memorable Mother's Day gifts. Although we couldn't respond to them individually, we read and appreciated every one. Here are but a few:

—Editor, HGTV.com

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Several years ago I received 300 pounds of composted cow manure for my hosta beds. It was the sweetest and most thoughtful and practical Mother's Day gift I ever received. And I've enclosed...proof of how wonderfully the hostas have been growing ever since.

—Helen Granger

1965: This was going to be my first Mother's Day in our new house as we had moved in the summer before, and this was a wonderful spring. My four children were ages 9, 6, 5 and 9 months. The wonderful cards they had all made at school were proudly displayed on the fridge. After being treated to a gourmet bowl of Cheerios, my 6-year-old disappeared into the backyard for "a special surprise." She came back 10 minutes later with the prettiest little pot of poison ivy you ever saw. I don't think she got quite the reaction she was expecting, as I gasped and grabbed her and stuck her in the tub for a soapy scrub-down. I still laugh when I think about it. Certainly one of my most memorable Mother's Day garden gifts.

—Unsigned

For Mother's Day in 1963, I had only my allowance to spend. [My mother] loved roses but was allergic to the thorn scratches. I gave her a simple 'Don Juan' climber with a trellis I made from our neighbor's fruit tree trimmings, a bag of rose potting soil and a card saying "one dozen will never be enough, only a lifetime of roses for you." I planted and cared for them every Mother's Day after that until we had to move. Every time she moved, a 'Don Juan' was planted on Mother's Day. My sister took over when we were transferred. My mom had red roses until she passed away.

—Cate Hunzeker-Dougherty

Last year my daughter-in-law made me a flower pot with flowers in it. But the best part--she also made special flowers that had my grandchildren's pictures on them. My grandchildren even painted the outside of the pot. The pot is now in my bathroom window, and I smile each time I water it.

—Susan Hunt

When I was a little girl, my grandmother had a climbing rose. It was planted beside the porch and grew up to and across the roof of the porch and down the other side. It is a memory I will forever cherish. Years later when the state decided to build a highway, she had to move. When she left, the last thing she took was that rose bush. She planted it beside her new home, where it grew beautifully, as did all her plants. One day she called my mother and told her to come and get a piece of it to plant in her garden. As the resident digger of all plants, I was elected to take my mother to Granny's house to retrieve a piece of the rose. A few years later my grandmother passed away, and the house was sold. Had it not been for her foresight in calling my mother, we wouldn't have a piece of my granny's prized rose bush. Now when I see it I always think of the day I dug until I was nearly exhausted to get a piece of our family's most cherished possession.

Everyone who knew my grandmother called her Granny; her name was Nancy Griffith. I think she could have grown rocks if she had so desired. Every thing she touched was healthy and beautiful. Thank you for the opportunity to tell this little story of my dear sweet granny.

—Nancy Thompson

One year in May all five of us "kids" got together and met at Mom's house. We brought picnic food, tools, flats of annuals, fertilizer, and of course, the grandkids. Thankfully the day was beautiful--sunny and warm for Michigan.

With an acre of lawn and garden, plus arthritis, our widowed mother was overwhelmed. Between all of us, we raked, mowed, weeded, planted, trimmed, swept and cleaned. Even the young children were included in picking up sticks and fetching supplies. Although no major projects were accomplished, the place was spring-ready by late afternoon. Then we enjoyed a meal together and played, using the big (groomed) backyard to teach the kids how to play Wiffle ball. The swept asphalt drive was put to use helping the young ones ride a two-wheeler with uncles holding the bike steady for shaky riders until they gained confidence. It was a memorable day. I believe Mom enjoyed having the whole family play as much as work, using her family home as a gathering place.

Mom passed a year ago, before Mother's Day, but we had heard she was hoping for a repeat of the year we were all in town, consolidating our efforts at home.

—Dottie Laethem Lualdi

To me, gardening is such a therapeutic passion. A few Mother's Days ago, my daughters blindfolded me and drove me to the local garden center. There they let me pick out any and all the plants that I liked and when we went home they helped me plant all of them. Knowing how much they don't like gardening, it really made it so special for me because they were truly thinking of making my day extra-special.

—Patricia Miles