Beyond Poinsettias: Holiday Gifts Inspired by Nature

Filed under: Gardening, Flowers, Fun Stuff, Parties & Entertaining, Holidays

It's wonderful to bring a nature-inspired gift to a holiday party. But if you don't want to bring a foil-wrapped Poinsettia, we've got seven new ideas from flowers to stationary that are seasonal, organic and surprising.

In our instant, online age we forget to slow down and pay attention to our senses. This list of nature-inspired gifts that I love is a reminder that so much good comes from the earth.

It would be unkind to keep these goodies all to myself. This is the season of sharing!


Nature-inspired Gift Idea #1: Paperwhites.

Forget poinsettias. These tall, delicate narcissus are unforgettably graceful in bloom. They are the easiest bulb to force indoors and instantly turn a room from ordinary to elegant. The flowers are highly fragrant and remind me of spring in my native Cape Town. I often find my paperwhites in New York's Flower District. Back at home they give me a breath of the spring that is waiting at the end of many, many more cold weeks.

Rest the bulbs on some gravel or glass beads in a pretty bowl, add water till it reaches their hips (too high and they will rot), and wait. It takes about 6 weeks for them to open into bloom, in a very light or sunny room. They are beautiful to look at from the moment their green leaves start to sprout.

You could buy them already rooted, which makes them a little more pricey, but your local nursery or garden store will probably have these bulbs in stock, or try online.

White Flower Farm sells various paper white kits, starting at $20 for 12 bulbs.


Nature-inspired Gift Idea #2: Botanical Interests Seeds

Seeds are a staple in my own gardening life and also a very low cost gift -- in the $1.50 to $3 range -- with a large reward in terms of enjoyment. As I have written before, I can't really think of a more meaningful gesture than a gift of seeds.

From heirloom vegetables to North American wildflowers, Botanical Interests is a company whose seed packages read like stories, complete with evocative, beautiful illustrations. Slipping a package in with a greeting card is an easy and low-cost way to add something extra and unusual to your message.

In addition to their standard line, they carry a large selection of heirloom and certified organic seeds. And because they carry so many different seeds, there is no need to feel humble about giving this gift to an experienced gardener who might still never have grown mâche. And a novice gardener will get a huge kick out of growing their own micro greens for salads, using the Spicy Micro green mix. My own rooftop-grown crop fed us fresh salad for months.

There are also gift-wrapped Seed Collections on self-explanatory themes: Bee Happy, Butterfly Banquet, Fragrant Flower, Children's Garden, Container Vegetable and many more, each more inspiring that the next. Warning: Shop on a full stomach or you will come away with the store. They range in price from $8 to $16. And at $33, the Wicked Pants Collection contains seeds of some of the plants described in Amy Stewart's best selling book, "Wicked Pants", which is also included in this Collection.


Nature-inspired Gift Idea #3: Meyer Lemon Tree

Slicing into a Meyer lemon is an experience that's hard to forget. The deep yellow, fragrant and tender skin, plump body and abundant juice of this lemon are special. So when I had envied, for months, a favorite blogger who grows his Meyer lemons indoors during the winter, and then visited White Flower Farm and saw them for sale, I knew my Meyer lemon-less days were numbered. They are $85 for a tree in a 10" pot. Your local nursery may stock them, too, so give them a call.

The golden fruit ripens during winter, even as the tree blooms. Imagine the scent of ripe fruit and lemon blossom at the same time. As long as you have a sunny indoor spot for your little tree, you will be able to enjoy this lovely plant when snow lies on the ground outside. Once your last frost has passed, you may move it outdoors again.

The Wild Table. Photo: Marie Viljoen Nature-inspired Gift Idea #4: "The Wild Table"

Published at a time when the age-old practice of foraging was garnering new attention, master forager Connie Green shares some of her foraging adventures and expertise with chef Sarah Scott, who turns the gathered ingredients -- from sea beans to juniper berries -- into sumptuous dishes in this gorgeous cookbook, photographed by Sara Remington. With a forward by his guru-ness Thomas Keller, this is a book for serious foodies, who will find in its pages what Connie Green describes as "the curious crossroads of the Stone Age and haute cuisine." Armchair and active foragers alike will find it hard to sit still without licking the pages and then looking at the neighbor's evergreen with gleaming intent.


Nature-inspired Gift Idea #5: "Stalking the Wild Asparagus"

While we are talking of foraging, Euell Gibbons' book on foraging is a classic, first published in the 1962. His stories are timeless. Written by a man who really was able to live off the land, every chapter is devoted to a particular wild food, including some animals (crawfish, anyone?) and is accompanied by his own recipes, using everything from winter cress to wild honey.

"Stalking the Wild Asparagus" is a book about America. It is about independence, about weeds growing in the open lot next door in the city, about the sweet sap flowing from birch trees in the woods, about plants so many of us know by sight and yet know nothing about: Acorns, wild asparagus, pokeweed, Jerusalem artichokes, dandelions, chicory, milkweed, sassafras. Did you know about persimmon leaf tea and day lily sprout salad?


Nature-inspired Gift Idea #5: Bottle Green's Elderflower Cordial

What is better than drinking flowers? Bottle Green is an English company that makes several cordials, but it's their elderflower that I am addicted. Made in the Cotswold's, from white umbels of flowers picked at the beginning of summer, this sweetly astringent syrup turns a tall glass of water into a refreshing drink. Or a tonic for sweaty gardeners. You pick. Specialty food stores around the country stock it for about $9, but if you cannot find it locally, buy elderflower cordial online. It is perfect with bubbly or still water, sparkling wine or added to your favorite gin-based holiday cocktail.



Nature-inspired Gift Idea #6: Gabriel Boudier's Crème de Cassis

This delectable liqueur is made from black currants (cassis) harvested in summer in the French commune of Dijon, then crushed and turned into a dark violet, alcoholic syrup that turns a glass of cold white wine into a holiday (known as Kir) and a glass sparkling wine or champagne into a party (Kir Royale). The house of Gabriel Boudier has been in business since 1874 and the retro-gorgeous label is faithful to its original incarnation. It is so pretty that it hardly warrants gift wrap.

While it retails at just under $30 in the liquor stores that stock it it can also be sourced online, where shipping will push it to about $40. My bottle, purchased at Heights Chateau in Brooklyn (from whom you can also mail order the liqueur) lasts about a season and I think it is worth every penny.




Nature-inspired Gift Idea #6: Vintage Animal Money Clips

Remember the old billfold, or money clip? It keeps paper money nice and neat and squared away for a back pocket or purse. And if, like me, you have more notes-to-self than paper money, it's useful for organizing those, too.

In Brooklyn, New York, Deborah Stein and her artisanal jewelry studio Bonbon Oiseau polish up vintage nickel and brass billfolds ($48) and then set distinctive charms on top. Owls, rabbits, ducks, bears, lobsters, crabs, starfish and whales are just some of the creatures from land and sea that will guard your money from greedy bankers and holiday impulse buys. For an extra-special gift, 18K dipped brass billfolds ($148) and silver plated nickle ($128) can be ordered. Add initials to personalize your gift.



Nature-inspired Gift Idea #7: Botanical Peace Cards

Every year I look for special cards to send out as greetings or thank you notes, or as a gift in their own right. At Etsy you will find the work of Nova Scotia-based graphic designer and artist Susan Black. Her new Peace Cards are a botanical riff on the peace symbol, which in her hands has become a tangled garland of bright flowers and leaves visited by tiny, turquoise butterflies. The cards are printed on heavy, smooth card stock and fit into envelopes which she describes as 'psychedelic'. $12 buys you a set of 6.

We need peace in our lives and in our world. It is a holiday message understood and appreciated by everybody.

So there you have it. Just because we are in the thick of winter does not mean that nature is not alive and well, and ready to be appreciated and enjoyed. Happy holidays!

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments