Report From An Opinionated Gardener – November 5
We hortaholics (thank you, Dan Heims) forget that not everyone appreciates getting plants as gifts. While we may rejoice when a guest arrives with an amaryllis bulb, others approach such situations with dread. We out-of-control plant people are thinking, “Big flowers!” but others mutter, “So I have to try and keep this alive??? The pressure.”
To quote Paul Simon, “One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor.”
As I post a Holiday Plant Hell article on my website that is designed to inform and encourage plant recipients, I also realize that the gift givers should be advised as well. Although we hortaholics want to convert everyone into a Plant Person, we need to be sensitive and thoughtful. A gentle touch is in order here.
So for those gardeners who will soon be gift givers, I offer these guidelines:
- If you know your host or hostess, and can’t remember a single plant that he/she has in the house, do them a favor and take a bottle of wine instead.
- If you know that the recipient loves flowers, but don’t know if he/she has the time or ability to water plants, go for the cut variety.
- When you take that Amaryllis or Poinsettia as a gift, be sure to tell the receiver that it’s OK to throw the plant out after the holidays. “No pressure, OK?” should immediately follow, “Happy holidays!”
Gifts are always a crapshoot. We try our best to anticipate the recipient’s taste and desires, but truthfully, we often fall short of the mark. Do your friends a favor this year: Make sure the card says, “It’s OK if you kill this.”