Flower and plant gift ideas for mom on Mother’s Day

Robert Plante Greenhouses tells us what you can do outside ahead of the long weekend.

Flowers and plants are a popular gift for mom on Mother’s Day.

And with sunshine and warm temperatures in the forecast for Ottawa starting this weekend, you may be thinking of what types of plants to get for mom on her special day.

CTV Morning Live spoke with Colin Matassa of Robert Plante Greenhouses about gift ideas for mom for Mother’s Day.

“Mother’s Day weekend and we’ve got you covered. We’ve got tonnes of amazing gift ideas, whether you’re looking for something flowering, like our hanging baskets or planters,” Matassa said Friday morning.

“Or maybe, if mom’s a gardener, you can get her something to plant right in the garden.”

Rose bushes

Matassa says a rose bush is a great gift idea, and it’s low maintenance.

One suggestion he brought to CTV Morning Live is a ‘Petite Rose’ bush.

“It’s a rose that stays very compact – only a foot by a foot. If you have a really small space, or even containers, the Petite Rose would be a great idea,” Matassa said.

“You can plant it in the garden; it will come back year after year. Sometimes people are a little bit scared of roses, they think it’s really complicated but roses are actually very low maintenance. They’ll bloom for you all summer.”

Matassa says there are “many different varieties of rose bushes.”

“You put bone meal when you plant them, and you have nothing to do after that,” Matassa said, adding the bone meal helps establish the roots.

Flowering Perennials

Another suggestion for mom for Mother’s Day and for your garden is Flowering Perennials.

A Flowering Perennial is a plant that will live for more than two years and bloom repeatedly.

Peonies

Matassa says a peonies plant is a “very nice one” for your garden.

“You plant them in the ground, they’ll come back year after year,” Matassa said.

Eclipse Hydrangea

Matassa says new for 2025 at the Robert Plante Greenhouses is the Eclipse Hydrangea.

“This is a hydrangea that has really dark coloured leaves, and it’s going to come out with these beautiful red flowers with a white interior,” Matassa said. “It’s a new variety for this year, so the chances are she doesn’t have one of these.”

Matassa says if mom is not into gardening in the ground, you can get her flowers or tropical plants.

“Great for the containers, great for the shade,” Matassa said about tropical flowers.

Matassa also took some time to answer questions from CTV Morning Live viewers for gardening season.

• Ready to grow your ‘green thumb’ this season? Join CTV Morning Live every Friday as we plant the seeds for gardening success with local experts.

How do you bring back or fix patches of dry grass from the winter?

“The first thing is to choose the right type of grass seed; if you have a shady spot or a spot that’s full of sun, you want to make sure you’re picking the right grass seed – a good quality grass seed so you’re sure it’s going to grow,” Matassa said.

“Put a layer of top soil and you reseed all over. Make sure to not bury your seeds too deep because sometimes it won’t germinate if it’s too deep.”

What is the best type of fern to use in an outdoor area that receives early morning and late afternoon sunshine?

“You can use something like the Kimberley Fern; these are a fantastic fern for pots,” Matassa said. “They’re a tropical plant; it’s the type of fern that can take the most sun out of all of them.”

Robert Plante Greenhouses is located on Navan Road.