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Well, Buttercup… I know. It’s fall. Yesterday we stopped by David’s mom’s to pick up and something and she and I began talking about mums, pumpkins, football, and everything autumn.

Then this morning even though I only do one #Holiday at a time this morning I am already thinking about Christmas shopping. But honestly, it’s never too early to start making those Christmas wish lists.

This year we’re kicking off our Christmas Shopping Gift Guide, and we’re going to be putting together gift ideas for all kinds of people on your Christmas list.

And today, we’re starting with something that I think can be especially meaningful for grandparents and great-grandparents: Which is Gardening Gifts for Grandparents & Great-Grandparents

Because sometimes the best Christmas gifts aren’t things that sit under the tree. Sometimes they’re things that grow. And sometimes they’re things that bring back memories.

When Charlie was little, we were blessed to live right down the street from his grandmother. And more often than not, Charlie was down at Grandma’s house digging in her flowers.

That boy loved being outside. He loved digging in the dirt, helping Grandma, and being part of whatever she was doing in her garden. And every single year, Grandma planted mums.

Yesterday I was at Grandma’s house, and she asked me if I knew what kind of flowers I wanted to plant in her planters because Walmart had Mums on sale.

Those mums are the little everyday moments that you don’t necessarily realize are going to become some of your favorite memories. This is why I had her get money out of our memory garden fun and go pick up Mums this morning.

Today you will find Charlie digging in her flowers. Grandma tending her mums. Taking me back to when Charlie was little and we lived down the street from her.

Family living close enough that a little boy could walk down the street and spend time with his grandmother was a blessing for my family and it’s why I’m grateful, thankful and blessed for David’s parents.

If Granny Sherry doesn’t go and pick up the Mums this morning I’m thinking about purchasing the Mums and surprising Grandma with a couple plants so she can enjoy them.

Charlie and I can stop by Sonic for granny’s favorite drink then we can take the mums down to her house and put them in her garden. And this year is different.

It’s the first year my father-in-law won’t be there. To come outside and surpervise his grandson. I don’t know about Granny but Charlie and I are going to miss that so much.

Grandma used to love sitting outside in her yard with Pa, and I know she misses him. So maybe those mums will be more than just flowers. Maybe they’ll give her something beautiful to look at while she’s sitting outside.

Maybe they’ll remind her of Charlie when he was little. Maybe they’ll give the neighbors a reason to stop by, sit with Grandma, and enjoy the beautiful mums Charlie is giving her.

And that’s really what made me think about gardening gifts for grandparents and great-grandparents this Christmas. Because a garden can be a gift. But the memories we make around that garden can be worth so much more.

As our parents and grandparents get older, they may not be able to garden the way they once did. That doesn’t mean they have to give up gardening altogether.

A garden can be big or small. It can be outside in a flower bed, on a patio, on a porch, or in a couple of containers. It can even be inside. The important thing is to create something that works for them.

If Grandma can’t spend hours bending over flower beds anymore, maybe she would enjoy a few beautiful pots sitting where she can see them. If Grandpa loves tomatoes but doesn’t want to dig up the backyard, a container garden might be just the thing.

And if someone doesn’t have an outdoor garden at all, an indoor flowering plant can still bring a little color and life into their home. Which is what I would have done for my mom.

Five Tips for Beginning a Garden for a Senior

1. Start Small: You don’t have to create an entire garden. Start with one planter, a couple of pots, or a small raised bed. A small garden can still bring plenty of joy without becoming another chore.

2. Think About Their Abilities: Before buying plants and supplies, think about what your loved one can comfortably do. Can they bend over? Do they have a patio?

Would raised planters be easier? Would containers that can be reached from a chair work better? A gardening gift should make gardening more enjoyable, not make it harder.

3. Choose Plants They Actually Love: Don’t just choose whatever happens to look pretty at the garden center. Think about Grandma’s favorite flowers. Think about the flowers Grandpa’s mother used to grow.

Maybe there’s a flower that reminds them of their childhood home. Those are the plants that can turn a garden into something personal. Which is why we will be planting Mums.

4. Give Them Tools They Can Actually Use– A senior-friendly gardening gift might include lightweight tools, gloves, a small watering can, plant markers, or containers that are easy to handle. You don’t have to spend a fortune.

I’ve found garden tools and sometimes even potting soil at Dollar Tree, along with things like pots, gloves, decorations, and other little garden supplies depending on what they have in stock. Sometimes putting together several inexpensive items makes a wonderful gift basket.

5. Give Them an Experience, Too: This may be my favorite idea. Don’t just give Grandma a plant. Give her an afternoon. Take her to a garden center. Get a garden-center gift card and let her pick out something she loves.

Take her out for tea afterward. Or spend an afternoon planting together. Because eventually, we’re going to remember the afternoon we spent together much longer than we remember what the gift cost.

Flowers for a Texas Garden

If you’re shopping for someone who lives in Texas, you’ll want to think about flowers that can handle our sometimes brutal heat. Of course, Texas is a big state, and growing conditions vary, so always consider the person’s region, sunlight, soil, and watering needs.

Here is some flowers to look at when you’re starting a Texas-friendly flower garden include:

• Zinnias
• Marigolds
• Lantana
• Portulaca, also called moss rose
• Verbena
• Petunias
• Vinca or periwinkle
• Celosia or cockscomb
• Salvia

And when the weather cools down, don’t forget about flowers such as pansies, violas, dianthus, and snapdragons. The goal isn’t to find one magical flower that works everywhere. It’s to find flowers that fit their garden and the time of year.

I wanted to remind you not everyone has a backyard. And an indoor garden doesn’t have to mean growing herbs on the kitchen windowsill. If your grandparent loves flowers, consider giving them something that blooms inside.

Some possibilities include:

• African violets
• Begonias
• Christmas cactus
• Amaryllis
• Orchids
• Kalanchoe
• Bromeliads
• Cyclamen

A pretty flowering plant in a beautiful pot can brighten a kitchen, living room, bedroom, sunroom, or even a little corner beside a favorite chair. And there’s something special about looking over and seeing a flower blooming when it’s cold outside.

If you have the time you could create a Memorial Garden which is another gardening gift that can carry a lot of meaning. A memorial garden doesn’t have to be large.

It could be one special plant in a pot. It could be a small flower bed. It could include a garden stone, butterfly, cross, statue, flag, wind chime, or another decoration that reminds your loved one of someone they miss.

You could plant a favorite flower. Or choose something that reminds the family of a particular person. For our family, butterflies carry special meaning.

For another family, it might be a favorite flower or a particular piece of garden art. The important part isn’t how big the garden is. It’s what it means to the people the garden is for.

If you’re looking for something a little bigger than a single plant, you can put together your own gardening gift basket.

You might include:

• A flowering plant
• A pretty planter
• Gardening gloves
• Lightweight gardening tools
• Potting soil
• Plant markers
• A small watering can
• Garden art
• A butterfly decoration
• A wind chime
• A personalized garden stone
• A memorial item
• A gift card to a local garden center
• A gift card for a favorite tea room or restaurant

And then add one more thing: Your time.

Write a little note telling Grandma or Grandpa that you’ll come over and help plant everything. Now you’ve turned a basket of gardening supplies into a memory.

I wanted to remind you Gardening can be about family and I think that’s what I keep coming back to. Is Gardening isn’t really about having the perfect flower bed.

It’s about sitting outside. It’s about getting your hands dirty. It’s about passing something down. It’s about a grandmother planting mums every year and a little boy digging in her flowers.

It’s about the stories that get told while you’re watering plants. It’s about remembering the people who isn’t sitting in that chair anymore. And sometimes it’s about planting something beautiful because someone you love could use a little beauty in their day.

This Christmas, when you’re making your list for Grandma, Grandpa, or a great-grandparent, don’t overlook the garden. You don’t have to spend a lot of money.

You don’t even have to buy something that comes in a box. Buy a couple of mums. Buy a flowering plant. Find a pretty pot. Pick up some gloves and a few tools at Dollar Tree.

Give them a garden-center gift card. Take them out for tea. Or simply show up with a shovel and spend the afternoon digging in the dirt together. Because sometimes the best Christmas gift is the one that gives you another memory to hold onto.

And Lord willing, creek don’t rise, I’m hoping to have a couple of pots of mums in Grandma’s garden very soon. And I hope Charlie and I can put them there together.

Maybe Grandma will sit outside and enjoy them. Maybe the neighbors will stop by. Maybe we’ll talk about Grandpa. Maybe we’ll talk about Charlie digging in Grandma’s flowers when he was little. And maybe, just maybe, those mums will remind all of us that love has a way of continuing to grow.

✝️ Glenda 🐸 David 🎮 Charlie 🦋 Suzanne

Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.

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