There’s something especially meaningful about a Mother’s Day gift that grows. During a visit with a lively group of Girl Guides, we swapped questions (some delightfully unexpected) and planted lily bulbs that will bloom into beautiful, living gifts. Inspired by our night, here’s how you can make your own rendition of this thoughtful Mother’s Day gift.
You never quite know what kids will say next. When I did a Mother’s Day planting activity with some local Girl Guides, I found my stomach hurting from all the laughter of the night.
The questions the girls asked me were such a hoot, from concerns about their pet fish to why lily bulbs look so weird, and it quickly became the best part of the night.
It all started with Flowerbulb.eu approaching me about having another planting party. This time around, I knew I wanted to do it with kids, since I love spreading the joy of gardening with them.
On the surface, the night was about creating some homegrown Mother’s Day gifts that the girls could share with their families. But deeper down, it was about connecting with the younger generation and giving them their first taste of gardening. Let’s hope it’s the small seed of a lifelong passion!
I’ll share with you how you can inspire a love of gardening with the next generation, but also provide some lily planting tips that will come in handy, courtesy of some inquisitive young minds.
Even if you don’t have littles in your life, these lily planters are a great planting activity to do with friends or as a thoughtful gift idea.
Sponsored Content: Thank you to Flowerbulb.eu for sponsoring this special event and providing us with the lily bulbs for our planting project. They’re one of the best resources for learning about different flower bulbs. Plant summer flowering bulbs now for a beautiful display of colour and go to Flowerbulb.eu for inspiration and education!
Why Gardening With Kids Matters
My Kiddo refers to himself as a Mini Master Gardener, and it comes from an entire life of being outside and surrounded by plants. From gardening while pregnant with him to being a toddler playing with vegetables, I instilled the love of plants from day one.
I’ve always loved working with kids, and getting to spend a night with the Girl Guides was exactly why. Each girl was so engaged, asking thoughtful questions and really engaging with their full hearts and minds.
I believe that gardening teaches kids patience and responsibility, as they watch a plant grow with their care (or wilt with the lack of it). It gives them a sense of pride and accomplishment, seeing the fruits (literal) of their labour.
Most importantly, it connects them with nature. It helps them understand they’re one piece of a puzzle in this great, big world. And hopefully, they feel the desire and passion to take care of it.
As the adult and professional gardener in the room, I also learn from the experience: a reminder of the beginner’s perspective. Now and then, I might gloss over information because I don’t think it is important or self-explanatory. But this is a reminder that new perspectives help us all grow.
These kids open up their big, wide, beautiful brains of ideas and toss them out at me. It was really fun to have these conversations, and it made me really think about the answers.
Kids Say the Best Things
If you have a little in your life, you know just how fun and out of the pocket some questions can be. Every time I work with children, they inevitably put up their hands, and half the time, it’s just statements. It’s almost as if they don’t understand how questions work, and I find it endlessly adorable. I put a few of those statements below because I thought it was really cute.
Here’s a little taste of what the Girl Guides had to say. I bet you that you’ll learn something new, simply because you never thought to ask it yourself!
Why do the roots look like this? Alternatively, I have two different kinds of roots. Why are some dry and long, and others green and sprouty?
Some of the roots looked dried up with little brown hairs, while others were fleshy and pink, green, or yellow. To a new gardener, you would think all roots look the same. And that they wouldn’t be so weird-looking!
The drier roots are the older ones, giving us an indication of where the plant goes down into the soil. The new roots, the fleshy pink, green, or yellow ones, will root the bulb into the soil. The new roots will gather the water and nutrients needed for the bulb to grow into a flower.
“It looks like a potato.”
Why are some shoots sprouting and some not?
The bulbs have been in a period of dormancy, and they’re just starting to sprout since now is the right season to plant them. Some of them haven’t started yet, but it doesn’t mean they won’t grow. Once they’re in the right conditions, the roots will grow from the bottom while the shoot (stem) will grow from the top.
Why are there two sprouts on mine?
One of the girls found that she had double the shoots on her bulb. Lucky gal! This will grow two plants.
Why is my lily bulb yellow?
Bulb colours can be an indication of what variety of lily it is. While it varies, oriental lilies tend to have yellow bulbs, trumpet and Aurelian lilies have purple-tinged bulbs, and Asiatic lilies tend to be white.
Can I put this inside my house or outside?
A really great question. Since this is an outdoor plant, this planting project was intended for outdoors. While you can grow it indoors, don’t expect similar results.
Is this safe for my cat, dog, and fish?
The kids really, really, wanted to talk about this topic for quite a bit. And they were very earnest about the safety of their fish.
No, lilies are not safe for cats. If you have a cat and they go outside, you can give the planter away to someone else. Even the tiniest bit of lily pollen can make a cat sick, so you want to keep cats away from lilies.
If you have an indoor cat, dog, or fish, this will not hurt them, as long as the lily planter stays outside.
“My mom says we can’t have any pets because my brother is enough already.”
Can I eat this?
When I handed out the bulbs, I could see how they might look like food. And my answer was NO, please don’t eat them. First of all, it won’t feel very good in your tummy as they are considered toxic.
Secondly, they won’t grow into a flower if you eat them. And I think we would all rather have a pretty flower than an upset tummy.
Learning About Lilies
Beginner gardeners aren’t going to fill all the gaps, so it’s important to round out with basic care tips. These are a few of the other questions if you’ve never grown lilies before that I presented and answered for the room.
How long will it take to grow?
It depends on the type of lily you grow. Asiatic lilies will bloom in late spring and early summer, while oriental lilies bloom in late summer. Asiatic lilies take about 80-130 days after planting to bloom, and oriental lilies take 80-130 days.
“My grandma is a very good gardener.”
How often do I water it?
Lilies in containers should be watered regularly. To see if it needs water, stick your finger in the soil until the first knuckle. If it’s dry, water it!
What happens if I forget to water it?
A lily that needs water will begin to droop, and the leaves may turn yellow or brown. Any flower buds may also turn brown and dry out. Having a self-watering container (like the ones I provided to the girls) can help keep a lily hydrated longer.
Can I give it too much water?
Yes. Lilies can be sensitive to too much water, their bulb and roots rotting if they sit in waterlogged soil for too long. This is why it’s important to plant them in a container with drainage holes.
“My dad is a very good gardener.”
Does it need sun all the time?
Lilies prefer full sun, getting 6-8 hours of sunlight a day. They can also tolerate partial sun, but may lean towards the sun and fall over.
Planting Lily Bulbs
The planting part is where the girls got really excited. Nothing like touching soil to get the spirits up!
Each girl got one container variety of lily bulb to put in their pot. I chose 12” pots that had a self-watering component to make caring for the plant easy for the gals, while also ensuring they had proper drainage.
The girls put the lilies approximately six inches deep (each bulb packet will have planting depth instructions).
Since they would have to wait for the lilies to grow and bloom, I also gave them some violas to plant on top. Topping with annuals gives you an immediate display of flowers, and the bulbs will poke through when it’s their time to shine.
For more detailed lily planting and care instructions, check out this post.
While one group planted their flowers, the other group did a craft. We made construction paper lilies to “plant” in the pots while the lily bulbs rooted. It was the perfect Mother’s Day gift as the paper lilies were made from tracing the girls’ hands!
How to Make Paper Lilies
Adding a craft offers some instant gratification for the girls, and also perfectly complements our lily planting activity.
Place a hand on the construction paper and trace it out. While lilies technically have six petals, our five fingers work just fine.
Once traced, decorate the lily. You can go true to lily fashion with a line through each of the fingers with little spots around it. But I also encourage creativity here. Some of the girls added zigzags and their own flair. I had the bulb packaging with photos of lilies for reference.
Cut out the handprint once done decorating it.
Take another piece of construction paper (in a different colour) and trace a rectangle that’s roughly 1.5 inches long and 1 inch tall. This will become the center of the flower.
Colour the top of it to create “pollen”. Cut out the rectangle, then cut four slits in the paper from the top, making sure to keep the bottom intact and attached.
Roll the cut rectangle around the chopstick and secure it with tape.
Next, gently curl the fingers of the handprint outwards. Wrap this around the chopstick, creating the lilies of the petal, and tape it.
Finesse with curling your petals and center until it looks just right!
The Ideal Gift for the Summer
Kids love giving something they made and planted, and parents love receiving them. Together, they can watch and wait for the lilies to bloom.
We made these as a Mother’s Day gift, but planting flower bulbs is ideal for just about anyone. Gift to your friend with a little balcony, as a thank you to teachers, or as a little something for your future self.
This activity is great to do with your own kids or within a classroom, but I’ve also done a planting party with my friends and had an absolute blast. Bulb planting really is for everyone, and now is the ideal time to get your summer bulbs started.
Thank you again to Flowerbulb.eu for sponsoring this event. The girls were so excited and had so much fun learning about their green thumbs.
More Tips for Growing Summer Flowering Bulbs
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
