A rose by your loved one’s name – what a sweet idea

1:34pm Friday 8th February 2008

HAVING difficulty choosing the right Valentine's gift for your partner?

There's no shortage of presents to suit garden enthusiasts, from beautiful bouquets to romantic plants and other loving trinkets.

Instead of the usual dozen red roses, why not name a rose after your partner, with a Name A Rose giftbox, featuring a packet of rose seeds that they can grow into a beautiful rose bush to cherish forever?

The box includes a rose registration card, unique packet of seeds with a corresponding database number, a booklet on how to grow and care for your rose, a rose calendar poster and a history information card (£19.95 plus p&p, www.gettingpersonal.co.uk, or phone 0845-217-6382).

Add a little atmosphere to a romantic evening, inside or out, with a set of colour changing LED candles, real candles with hint of vanilla fragrance. Each candle contains multi-colour changing LED unit powered by a 4.5V battery (supplied) (£13.45, www.shop.com).

Whatever type of garden your partner has, a seed collection can enrich it further, and there are some great combinations available, from cottage garden favourites to contemporary varieties.

Garden design guru Claire Southall has developed a range of seed collections for the London Seed Emporium which will work together in the garden. My personal favourite is the King Arthur collection, featuring tall delphiniums, cornflower Black Ball, larkspur, nigella and nicotiana, combining to make a tall display of traditional English cottage garden flowers in blue, white and green. It is beautifully packaged in smart Art Nouveau-style packets and box, with growing instructions and card message (£17.50 plus p&p, www.londonseedemporium.

co.uk).

If you want to put the spark back into your relationship, treat your partner to a Passion Pack, complete with an exotic blue passion flower ready to plant, together with a supply of fresh passion fruits and a bottle of champagne.

It's packed in a Gluttonous Gardener rustic wooden crate, handtied with large raffia bows (£62 plus delivery, available online from www.glut.co.uk, or phone 020-7627-0800).

Orchid fans should look for the impressive white Egret orchid (Habenaria radiata) from Thompson & Morgan. Also known as the dove plant, the stems can reach 30cm (12in) tall, each one parading three or more blooms that will flourish for well over a month.

Plant them immediately in humus-rich soil, in a cool house, greenhouse or in patio containers.

Protect them from scorching heat.

For best results, plants need plenty of water in order to simulate the monsoon season (£9.99 for three bulbs; order online at www.thompson-morgan.com or phone 0844-573-2020).

Fancy a cuppa after a hard morning's gardening? Do it in style by sharing a cup of tea from Whittard of Chelsea's romantic retro range of ceramics, featuring the Sweetheart Teapot (£20), decorated with red, pink and lilac hearts. Add to that Whittard's Sweetheart's Tea (£8.50), a blend of strawberries and cream with floating sugar hearts. It comes with a silver-plated heart-shaped infuser.

If your loved one likes the romantic shapes that topiary can create, buy her a pair of pink topiary shears from Wilkinson Sword, presented in a pink themed presentation case. They will help to keep topiary and other hedge plants in shape and the non-stick stainless steel blades provide accurate cutting when creating intricate shapes (£9.99; for stockist information, email custserv@fiskars.co.uk or phone 01656-655595).

Jobs this week ❃ Plan a rotation system for vegetable plots to ensure the same crops are not grown in the same beds year after year to help prevent disease build-up.

❃ Leave heavy soils exposed during cold weather as the frosts will kill pests and improve soil structure by the continual freezing and thawing of soil water.

❃ Start cutting back grasses and Egret orchid: impressive other perennials left for winter interest.

❃ Sow seeds of begonia, lobelia, salvia and pelargonium in a heated greenhouse or propagator.