What can I get my mum who hates everything?!

[petedicks]

Ok hates everything might be dramatic. But I've had a lifetime of buying her things she just puts straight in the cupboard and never looks at again. No to jewellery, no to decorative house stuff. She isn't particularly active, doesn't like beauty treatments.

She does like her garden and plants and flowers... But has everything for that. I've run out of bee houses and bird feeders to buy. I was thinking of a Bloom & Wild subscription but it'd be nice to get her something to open. Any ideas please?!

The gardeners I know appreciate nice hand soap and hand cream. Also new gardening gloves and secateurs as they don't last these days.

Agree with PP, can't have enough gloves and secateurs. Maybe some unusual heritage or heirloom tomato seeds? But I might be biased as I would like these 😂 https://www.tomatorevolution.co.uk/store/

Are any of her gardening things getting old or worn out? Or some bulbs, seeds, things for planting later in the year.
Failing all else, consumables. It might be a bit dull but chocolates, cheese and crackers, drinks etc. She can unwrap that and have the subscription as a main gift.
Sympathies, I have the same issue with parents and in laws.

Get her some nice experiences, not Stuff. You can write a nice card and put it in a box for her to open.

Eg a day out at an RHS garden or show, a meal out with the family. Or get her something she needs to buy every year for the garden - some really good compost or mulch delivered to the door, something that gets used up. I would avoid the soap/cream/gloves/secateurs unless you know exactly what she uses - as an experienced gardener she may have strong opinions on what works for her (I certainly do so I may be projecting).

If she has Felco secateurs then arrange and pay for them to be refurbished - costs about £30, brings them up like new (check their website).

Thanks for the ideas so far. Any suggestions for gardening gloves brands please? Or are any ok?

Where I live there is a local ‘rare plants’ market and local flower shows.

Bloom is in Dublin and tickets on sale already (but I know flights etc add to the cost but I’m sure there are others)

No, any are not OK, it’s possible she will have a preference.

Snoop in her garden shed and see what she currently uses. I use Showa360 for most gardening and have a pair of thorn resistant ones (the leather ones with yellow gauntlets).

However, as an avid gardener, I have to say I plenty of these already.

Best gift ever from my DD was her taking me and my gardening best friend to Beth Chatto’s garden for the day, with a picnic thrown in.

I use Gold Leaf dry touch gloves in the winter but as others have said she may have her own preference.
Is she a member of the RHS? If not you could get her a gift membership, comes in a pack with an issue of the magazine and some seeds I think, so she'd have something to open.
Or something like a tour of eg Highgrove, with afternoon tea.

Ok I'm ruling out gloves as she'll definitely be fussy about these and I'm not seeing her until Christmas so can't snoop! I'm trying to remember if she's an RHS member... Just looked up Chelsea flower show tickets. So expensive!

A voucher to visit somewhere like Kew gardens (or other nice local garden related attraction deepening on where she lives)?

Consumables all the way imo. Big bunch of flowers, wine and chocolate

Time. Give her some of your time.

Can you not say to her that you would like to give her something she will want and like but you're at a complete loss as to what go buy her. You can ask her if there is anything she would love but hasn't justified buying for herself.

Oh my, i am your Mother ! All i ask for is a nice card and a lunch date. Mine like to give me something to open and i love chutney's and really nice cheese and crackers. I don't need any candles, toiletries or trinkets.

Sounds like my mum!
I bought her a pair of those welly clogs years ago for pottering around the garden in and hanging out washing etc and they were a big hit.

Tickets to something at the local theatre and dinner with you, a really nice catch up? Specially if you're not local

A good quality umbrella.
Moisturiser.

Sunscreen, Washable bucket hat made from denim or something serviceable for the garden, padded kneeler to save her knees, pannier bags with pockets for carrying her tools (like a cowboy’s holsters, but for gardeners - “Secateurs at Dawn, Andrew!”
Tea Towels printed with funny gardening puns or her favourite flowers.

I thought my aunt might like the tea towels so I had a look… I searched under botanical tea towels and found so many pretty ones… the funny gardening tea towels were pretty dire but here you go…

Something from Rocket Gardens? We get plugs from there and sometimes there's new things to try

What about a headlamp when she's out there and it's getting a bit dark? My mom keeps chickens I'm thinking of getting her one because she's a bit unsteady in the dark or at dusk. And it gets dark so early

Turtle Doves fingerless cashmere gloves

Personally, as a mum of a certain age, with too much stuff, my favourite presents are/have been:

• a homemade voucher for a trip to the garden center to choose myself a plant (it's the shared trip as much as the plant that makes it special)

-a subscription to a magazine (BBC gardening mag is good)

• 6 books wrapped in brown paper labelled Jan, Feb, March . . . June. Don't mind 2nd hand books. Loved the variety. (Birthday present was the other 6)
• 12 deliveries from my local flower shop on the first day of each month (again joint Christmas- birthday present)

Hth

I give my parent magazine subscriptions. My mum has previously had the Gardeners World magazine.

If she has anything thorny and isn't vegan, then a good pair of leather gauntlets. They get little holes all the time and really are the only thing to really protect from thorns. Brand isn't important.