As we approach Mothers Day,  I just wanted to wish all  mothers a very special and relaxing day.    

 I have chosen Alstroemeria as my feature plant today which is commonly called “Peruvian Lily” and is native to South America.  They come in a variety of colours and are great for cut flowers (flowers can last up to two weeks in a vase).   It would be best to plant Alstroemeria in late Spring/Early Summer as they are quite tender.  I then pot them up over the winter and keep them in a cool garage.  The markings on the flower are quite striking as illustrated below.  

A suggestion for a suitable gift for gardening mums is either a posy of flowers as shown above or perhaps she would like a selection tray of salad seedlings, i.e. lettuce, cucumber and cherry tomato (with basil and chives mixed in).  They can sit on the window sill until the weather is warm enough for them to be planted outside.