My family and I just spent this last weekend at the Royal Botanical Gardens. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining, a few cumulus clouds here and there and a slight breeze that cut down on the heat of the day. The flowers just added to the enjoyment and with the long pathways, wide open spaces and hidden forest gardens, my boys were able to enjoy it as well.

This isn’t to say that they were thrilled when I suggested the trip. “Ewww, flowers. That’s for girls,” they groaned and I saw two chins jutting out in defiance when I said, “Tough, we’re going to do something that I want to do for a change.”

When they got there, both were amazed. First, they were able to see a little informative clip on a tree that was found that can be traced back to the age of the dinosaurs. This tree is only found in one remote area in Australia, which is such a closely guarded secret that everyone who goes to the valley is blindfolded to protect it. Second, there was so much to see, so many places to run, and the rock garden provide so many paths to scramble up that it quickly became a favorite garden.

I was able to enjoy a more feminine outing, trust me, those are few and far between, while we hiked, yep couldn’t avoid that, and I gathered ideas for my own garden.

We packed a picnic lunch and ate it in a garden terrace filled with tons of greenery. That is one thing that I always stress for keeping costs down, don’t buy your food at the tourist spot. Pack a lunch or pick up a meal when you leave. The price of food can often drive up the cost of any trip when you buy it at the location.

At one point, my three year old shouted, “Look mamma, (my children call me mamma, despite the fact that I never use the word) this garden has a hibiscus.” To my surprise, he was right and we laughed at how well he could point out many of the plants around us.

When it comes to the overall expense of a trip, gardens rarely cost the exorbitant fees that other tourist attractions charge. For a day trip, with access to 4 gardens and a free shuttle between each one, we spent a total of 25 dollars for 4 people. So if you are looking for a nice way to spend a family outing, I would strongly suggest visiting a garden center.

You might be surprised at how many memories you can gain from the trip and as my husband, who used to make a yearly trip to the Royal Botanical Gardens as a kid, said, “This brings back some great memories.”

Sirena Van Schaik

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If you have decided to dip into the wallet instead of creating some homemade gifts (and yes, both are appreciated), I have put together a few ideas, which are listed below, for finding that perfect gift for mom.

• The Old Standby: Flowers are an excellent choice of gift for anyone and can be a nice thing to wake up to on Mother’s Day morning but it can become too much of a good thing if you find that all your special occasion gifts are bouquets.  If you want to punch up the old standby just a little, try purchasing a bunch of perennials and annuals for the gardening mom in your life, instead of giving her some cut flowers that won’t last very long.  If you are worried about choosing the annuals for her, make a nice trip to the garden center with mom and foot the bill after she chooses all the flowers that she loves.  I know that she might like a little company when she is out flower shopping, and it’s only one day.
• Things that sparkle:  I know jewellery is a big thing for Mother’s Day, although I don’t really get too many jewellery pieces since I tend to lose them.  There are tons of items out there that can provide something special for mom.  I know jewellery stores have charms with mom on them, family rings and just about everything.  One of the nicest pieces of jewellery that I ever received on Mother’s Day was a Wish Pearl.  It came in an oyster and with a hearth shaped cage locket.  The whole premise behind the Wish Pearl is to open the oyster while you make a wish, fish out the pearl (there are different colors signifying different things, I had rose) and you put the pearl in the locket and wear it for good luck.  Another nice idea for jewellery is the Treasure Ring.  I just found these in a magazine advertisement but I think it is really special having my kids names and birth dates engraved on the inside of the ring.  Whether I get one or not really depends on whether I could be trusted enough not to lose it. 
• Pampering goes a long way:  One gift that is appreciated at any time of the year are gift certificates to spas or salons.  Treat mom to a nice facial massage, get her a spa package for an hour, day or if your really nice, a weekend.  Even treating her to a hair cut is a nice way to say, “You do so much, why not take a break and do something for yourself.”

Only three ideas but from there, you can come up with hundreds of ideas.  For most moms, simply taking the time to say, “Happy Mother’s Day,” is worth more than any expensive gift that you could find.  After all, a mom just wants to feel appreciated for doing everything she does. 

Sirena Van Schaik

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Planting with kids is a wonderful activity and there is nothing more enjoyable than digging around in the dirt and unearthing worms and creepy crawlies.  I think my kids would prefer to leave the flowers out so they could have worm excavating holes but we eventually get the flowers planted.  Even with it being such an enjoyable activity, it is important to remember that many plants can be poisonous to people, especially young children. 

If you place poisonous plants in your garden, it is important to place them in areas where your children do not have access and to also be the person handling the plant.  I have listed below the plants that you should either avoid or handle with care and the part that is considered the most toxic.

Flowering Plants

• Oleander: the leaves and branches of this plant are extremely poisonous.
• Daffodil: bulbs are the most toxic and can be fatal
• Monkshood: the roots
• Narcissus: the bulbs and like the daffodil they can be fatal
• Lily of the Valley: leaves and flowers
• Star of Bethlehem: bulbs
• Hyacinth: Bulbs, which can be fatal
• Rhododendron: all the parts of the rhododendron is toxic
• Foxglove: leaves and it can be fatal
• Iris: Underground stems
• Rhubarb: leaf blade. Rhubarb leaves can be fatal in large quantities

There are many other plants that are toxic and for more information on those plants, please visit the toxic plant list produced by The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. It is important to teach children to never eat plants and to understand the qualities of the plants that you are placing in your garden. But after you have sorted out plants that are toxic, you can enjoy the bonding experience of growing a well thought out garden. 

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