Some days it seems we’ve skipped spring and run right into summer with mid 80-degree days and the next day it will be 45 degrees, bleak and rainy. I just hope we’re past the point where we have to worry about frost. Things are growing so fast I can hardly keep up with the changes. I was going to write everything in my journal this year for sure, but I’m so far behind now I may never catch up.

If we experience some really cold nights, cover your plants with old sheets, just remember to remove them in the morning. Everywhere I look there are plants for sale and every magazine I read has articles about container gardening. Clip the pictures and you should be able to find just about any plant variety you’re looking for these days. Just be sure the ground is warm and dry if you plant in the garden. I read about all the new varieties and can hardly wait to see them for myself. Last year I found calibrachoa. I know they’ve been around a few years, but I’d never had any before. They are an amazing flower, blooming from May through frost and even later since I covered them when it got cold at night. They come in different colors and keep that full look all summer, unlike Bacopa which gave out around the end of August. They have definitely replaced Bacopa as an overhanging pot plant for me. More about container gardening in later columns.

Mother’s Day is coming up and this year how about getting Mom a gardening gift in addition to the potted bulbs we always buy. (I hate to completely dissuade you from buying those potted bulbs, because many times they’re being sold for a worthwhile cause.) Hanging baskets or containers with flowers for the porch or deck are always welcome as are large hanging ferns. But don’t be limited by these items. If your mom is a gardener or even if she just enjoys flowers, the list is long when it comes to ideas for Mother’s Day gifts.

You can buy all-in-one garden kits that have everything you need to grow a flower or veggie, but, it’s a simple matter to make your own, personalizing it to suit mom’s favorites. Find a small unusual container, a few dwarf plants and some potting soil and you have all the ingredients for a personalized gift. Herbs would be an especially nice for a mom who uses them frequently. Add a special set of snippers just for herbs (they come completely apart for washing) to complete the gift. Or plan for a day to visit and help in her garden. Those flower seed carpets you unroll and just lay on the ground will provide a lot of delightful blooms with no work. Place one beside the drive where she will see it every day.

Gardeners can always use a new watering can and new environment friendly ones are made out of recycled plastic. If Mom has indoor plants you can buy kits with tools for houseplants or you can put together your own indoor or outdoor gardening kit. Garden centers have lots of small inexpensive items you can use and many are amazingly handy to have. A small device for measuring moisture in plants is inexpensive and very useful. How about a self- watering pot or window box, a garden tote for tools or some of those small manageable plastic tubs for hauling stuff around the yard. Window rooter is a funny name, but a great idea. If your mom loves to root plants, a window rooter will add an attractive new dimension to windowsill propagation. Look for them at the garden center also. As embarrassing as it is to say, I’ve found coleus are not at all picky about the kind of container in which they root, but I’m sure my daughter would appreciate it if I’d use one of these.

Planters with pockets, known as strawberry pots, make exceptionally nice gifts when planted with herbs. You’re certainly not limited to either strawberries or herbs and the list of plants you can use is nearly endless and primarily depends on the location of the pot. You can put tall plants in top and add vines or even, my favorite, calibrachoa to the pockets in the sides. Strawberry begonia, a plant I’ve always used as a house plant, would make a fine showing in a pocket. It may be tricky to keep the dirt inside as you’re planting, but keep at it. It’s not impossible and it will be worth the trouble.

A hummingbird feeder (given with nectar) or a fancy bird feeder (with feed of course) will bring birds into Mom’s garden. Be sure to get a hanger so you can hang it up right away. A heated bird bath is another nice gift. She may not need the heat now, but come winter it will be a wonderful addition to her winter garden.