Bouquets are lovely but wouldn’t it be sweet to treat Mom with a gift of beautiful flowers and foliage that lasts all season long? The Southern Living Plant Collection takes the guesswork out of gift giving with tried and true plants that are sure to harvest smiles year after year. Here are five easy-care selections that Mom can enjoy without the work.
Find these at your local garden center. Can’t visit? You can order Southern Living plants online, too.
ScentAmazing™ Gardenia
A gift that keeps on giving. Mom will be reminded of how much she is appreciated every time she smells the sweet fragrance of ScentAmazing™ Gardenia. After an intoxicating spring flush, flowers reappear throughout the season, gracing the garden with their delightful fragrance spring through fall. View the garden plan.
Miss Lemon™ Abelia
As tough as mom and with all the grace. Don’t let Miss Lemon™ Abelia’s elegant arching form fool you, this bright beauty is one robust shrub. Sand, clay, sun, shade—Miss Lemon thrives in most settings. Dressed in elegant variegated foliage, she’ll charm you with a profusion of pink flowers summer into fall. See our cottage chic garden using Miss Lemon here.
‘Sunshine’ Ligustrum
Give Mom a pot of golden ‘Sunshine’ Ligustrum to brighten her days all year long. With vibrant foliage, this evergreen shrub energizes sunny borders and makes a striking accent in the garden or container. As hardy as any ligustrum, this variety is sterile so there are no pesky seedlings to weed from the garden. Just golden rays of ‘Sunshine.’ See how we used Sunshine Ligustrum to “Garden One Space at a Time“.
Purple Daydream® Dwarf Loropetalum
A petite garden gem with all the pizazz of its full-sized relatives, Purple Daydream® is a charming dwarf loropetalum. Reaching a mere 2- to 3-feet high by 3- to 4-feet wide, there is no need for Mom to worry about this loropetalum taking over the garden. That means she can put away the pruners, sit back with a cool iced tea, and enjoy the lush purple foliage and vivid pink blooms in peace. Use Purple Daydream to create a Lavish Retreat garden plan or a Warm Welcome container garden.
White Wedding™ Hydrangea
Give Mom a living bouquet with White Wedding™ Hydrangea. Plush, oversized flowers cover gracefully arching stems throughout the summer. The blooms are perfect for cutting so you can keep her vase filled and enhance the garden. White Wedding makes a stunning accent in sun or shade, and with its compact form, requires no pruning. Now that’s something Mom is sure to appreciate.
