MIL big birthday gift - out of ideas.

[spicypumpkin]

Big birthday coming up. She has clothes, jewellery, and makeup/skincare aplenty (some out of date and never even been opened). She has a full room in her house full of clothes some still with tags on.

She's a very keen gardener but seems to own every plant under the sun and buys her own equipment - not that me or DP know much about plants anyway.
She likes baking and cooking but prefers to stick to her own tried and tested recipes and owns dozens of cook books that collect dust on her shelves.

Would never go to a spa day (she's received vouchers in the past and gave them away).

She's lovely and we would love to get her something nice but we are completely stuck for ideas, especially now with Covid and being unable to take her for a day out and treat her to a meal/lunch (which is what we've done in the past when we didn't know what to get).
She's in the shielding group so most likely won't return to normal life quite as fast as the rest of us.

Could anyone please throw some ideas in our direction?

Have a look at niwaki.com
Loads of excellent quality gardening tools and unusual bits and bobs for gardeners. Some are really expensive but others are quite affordable. The golden spade is amazing! www.niwaki.com/store/golden-spade/

You could also consider a Sussex Trug basket. Perhaps personalised with her name? Lots of high profile gardeners have them, even Prince Charles. Mine came from www.thetrugstore.co.uk/

She sounds very fortunate! (Apart from the shielding?)

Is she able to drink? If I were her I'd welcome a mixed case of biodynamic red wine. Possibly most people would prefer a case of champagne. Either way, something to extend the period of celebration.

English heritage membership? She wouldn't be able to use it yet obviously, but it doesn't start until the recipient activates it so she could wait and make plans in the meantime.

Tickets for next year's Chelsea Flower Show?

Something for the garden, a special rose that’s name would have a connection for your MIL. Birdbath, garden ornament or solar lights. A nice pen. Magazine subscription.

A beautiful Acer?

Vouchers for posh plant shop...Crocus, Sarah Raven etc.
Really good Wellington boots.

RHS or National Trust membership
Gift voucher for a nice garden centre

A planter? You can get some lovely ones online. A bird table/feeder?
Or something like a kitchen aid/new mixer? Personalised chopping board?

get her son to buy the present

Handcare stuff aimed at gardeners- on the basis that she might actually try it if it has a use that might actually be of obvious to her. Or vouchers for a good gardening brand/store/website.

Personalised champagne bottle (full, obviously)- I got a lovely Laurent Perrier one for my 30th and I gave someone else a nice one from Fortnum & Mason for theirs.

Or you could ask her if there is anything she wants.

[quote TigerBrite]Have a look at niwaki.com
Loads of excellent quality gardening tools and unusual bits and bobs for gardeners. Some are really expensive but others are quite affordable. The golden spade is amazing! www.niwaki.com/store/golden-spade/

You could also consider a Sussex Trug basket. Perhaps personalised with her name? Lots of high profile gardeners have them, even Prince Charles. Mine came from www.thetrugstore.co.uk/[/quote]
I love that Niwaki website. Really lovely things I never knew I needed!

How big? My husband really struggled for ideas for his mums 70th. We sorted it eventually but it was hobby specific.

For my Nanna's 90th I got her a newspaper from the day she was born. It went down a treat.

Picture for the wall, has she had any great holidays, you might be able to find a picture of that place/city.
Photo of family in lovely frame, some solid silver or wood one that suits her decor.
Flower delivery subscription, flowers arrive each month for a year, nice to lift spirits if she's not going out so much even when lockdown lifts
Magazine subscription, choose a general one or gardening/cooking one

Hamper from Fortnum and Mason?

They do various standard ones (including a birthday one with a fab revolving musical biscuit tin which plays Happy Birthday), or you can select your own things and have them put into a hamper. Jams, coffees, teas, chocolates, pickles, biscuits, truffles, etc etc. Little special treats that she can use for ages (especially good for brightening your day if you're in lockdown or shielding).

It's pricier than Tesco's, but it's very good stuff, looks special, most people will never buy it for themselves, and works for people who already "have everything."

We got mum a photo album on those printed ones which covered time from when she was a baby right through to now, with lots of photos of all the grandchildren and stuff in it. She absolutely loved it, love showing it to her friends and was even better than I thought!

Does she do puzzles? Maybe a family photo personalised one?

I recently made up a family print with a company called Little Florence, you select each person’s hair style and colour, outfits, add in family pets etc. I put my parents with all of their grandchildren. It’s sort of like a personalised drawing.

When my dh was 80 last year and I was desperate for something to buy. I hit on an iPad as he was totally without any technology other than a basic mobile phone. He had sworn he wasn’t interested but now he uses it everyday and wouldnt be without it..Sounds as if your MIL has everything so probably has one but just a thought!

When my Mum was 80 my youngest sister made our Mum a memory box. She bought one of those blocks of paper in a box you put by phone. On 80 pages she wrote about a special memory she had of our Mum. We all cried when we read them and it was our Mum's favourite present. She looked at them often, after.her birthday had gone. It cost £3.99 and loads of thought and time. Blew our gifts out of the water tbh. Could your partner think about memories of his Mum and for that for her?

I would get her some good quality tulips in a colour she has in the garden and an IOU for a birthday l;unch in the spring.

Tulip bulbs I meant not cut flowers

Digital photo frame, set up with family pictures

Other thing I thought of OP is if she has a large garden she might like a gardener once a month to do the heavy/tall work. A proper gardener not a hack with a chainsaw.

You say she's shielding so maybe not appropriate this year.

A garden bench? You can have them personalised on a lot of sites, maybe a quote from a poem or book that she likes, or a Happy XX Birthday Mum.