I prepared a Mother’s Day gift that was so easy but so nice that I wanted to share it with you. And it was really frugal, too.  🙂

I got this idea from Craig’s List – someone was advertising a window herb garden for Mother’s Day.  It occurred to me that I could make my own, and since my mother doesn’t have a yard and just a few days ago told me her attempt last year to grow microgreens failed, I think she’ll really appreciate it!

I took a window garden box that I already had (we got this for free when the kids found someone had put out a pile of several brand new gardening items with tags still on for give away in the alley), and decided to fill it with four different herbs.  I didn’t think that I could fit more than that.  I dug up oregano, sage, and chives from my garden (the chives are flowering and look especially pretty right now).  I bought two lavender plants three weeks ago that I hadn’t yet put into my yard, and decided to put one in my mother’s herb garden – it’s not edible, but it smells so nice and looks attractive so it will be a pleasant addition.  I have basil seeds but since I wanted to give her plants that were already heartily growing, I didn’t include that.

I planted it so that the tall and short plants were alternated – oregano, then sage, then chives, and then lavender.  All of these plants look attractive on their own, but together lined up in this way they visually enhance one another.  I prepared this several days in advance since plants that are transplanted sometimes experience stress and I wanted them to have a chance to get used to their new home and perk up before giving it to my mother.

My only cost were the lavender and sage plants (since I had chives and oregano in the garden), which I paid .50 cents each for, and the Mother’s Day helium balloon ($1 at the dollar store) to tie onto the box itself to make it look more festive.  So $2 and less than a half hour spent to put it all together!  This is a nice gift for someone who enjoys plants but doesn’t have time, space, or energy to grow their own – all they need is a window with some sun, and they can continue to enjoy having fresh herbs for months!  (And these plants reseed themselves and will come back on their own next year.)

(This post is part of Thrifty Thursday, Frugal Fridays and Make it From Scratch.)

Avivah