A Love That Grows

This Mothering Sunday, gift a lasting and homemade present!

The truth is, our relationship with our mothers has always been a complex negotiation. When we are small, they kiss away pain, know where all the lost things are hiding, and possess the magical ability to make dinner appear every single night without apparent effort. Then we become teenagers, overnight they transform into complete embarrassments. They don't understand us. Their fashion sense is a crime against humanity and their simple request to "be home by ten" is clearly a personal attack!

Then, something deeply unfair happens: we grow up. We move out, we pay our own bills, we attempt to cook our own dinner when we suddenly realise it doesn't magically appear. We catch ourselves saying things like "because I said so" or worrying about whether people are dressed warmly enough. In a shocking twist, we realise our mothers were not, in fact, clueless tyrants, but rather exhausted humans doing their absolute best. It's a humbling moment, usually experienced while standing in a supermarket aisle, trying to remember if we need fabric softener.

This dawning realisation is what Mothering Sunday is really about. It's not about grand, sweeping gestures or purchasing the most expensive gift. It's the quiet, private acknowledgment that you have, at last, joined the club of people who understand exactly how much unseen effort goes into keeping a family afloat. You've stopped seeing her as just 'Mum' and started seeing her as a person who has somehow put up with you for this long. For that alone, she deserves a medal.

This year give her a gift that honours that sentiment. Not something fleeting, but a living symbol of the love you share. A gift you can make in an afternoon, but which will continue to grow for weeks to come.

The Growing Love: A Bulb in Glass Vase

You will need:- A clear glass vase (a wide-mouthed jar or a cylindrical vase works perfectly, it need to be something you can reach to the bottom of)- A handful of small, stones or pebbles for drainage- A bag of good quality potting compost- A layer of moss (gathered from the garden or bought from a garden centre or florist)- A high-quality, ready-to-bloom spring bulb. Calla lily, gladiolus, hyacinths, or a small daffodil are wonderful choices.

To make your gift:1.  Place a 3-4cm layer of your clean pebbles at the bottom of the glass vase. This isn’t just decorative; it’s crucial for drainage, preventing the bulb’s roots from sitting in water and rotting.

2.  Pour a layer of compost over the pebbles, deep enough to comfortably house the bulb’s roots.

3.  Now, place your bulb, roots-side down, onto the compost.

4.  Carefully spoon more compost around the bulb, filling the vase until two-thirds of the bulb is buried. Pat it down very gently. The beauty of the glass is in seeing the layers, so try not to smudge compost all over the sides.

5.  Finally, for a woodland-floor finish that also helps retain moisture, carefully place your moss over the surface of the soil. A few small pebbles can be nestled into the moss for added texture.

6. Give the soil a little water and place it on her windowsill. As the weeks pass, she will see the white roots reach down into the pebbles and the strong green shoot push up towards the light. It is a daily reminder of the simple, profound beauty of growing things. It is a love that will last, a love that grows, just like yours. 

Happy Mothering Sunday.

Image Credits: www.epicgardening.com & Sonny Vermeer via pexels.com