Kumquat Tree

I think oranges have to be one of my favourite summer fruits... I was then introduced to Kumquats (which look like mini Satsumas) at a restaurant one evening. These 'little gems of the citrus family' are small oval fruits with a golden-yellow to reddish-orange peel and have a very distinctive taste... While the fruit has been cultivated in China and Japan for centuries, it is a relative newcomer to the rest of the world. This is a wonderful gift for someone and a real treat especially from the exceptional 4presents team. Breathtakingly packaged and presented a present like this cannot fail to impress and may even encourage the kitchen-phones to pick up a pan....

Read the whole article at www.threesacrowdonline

A Baby Bloomer

The Passion flower makes a lovely gift for a newborn. After it has flowered it can be planted out in the garden and will continue to bloom year after year in the summer. Each plant costs £24 (plus £5 delivery) Call 0845 226 8026 (or visis www.plants4presents.co.uk)

Company is blossoming

An expanding web-based plant delivery service is reaping the fruits of its labours and taking root at larger premises in Newick. Family-run business Plants4Presents is beginning renovation work to covert the two-acre chrysanthemum nursery at Fletching Common into a pot plant haven. The company was formed four years ago by keen gardener Isobel Rae at her home in Surrey and is run with the help of her sister-in-law Christine, daughter Emily and two other staff.

Emily said her mother saw a gap in the market for delivering a range of plants for special occasions. She said "When we set up there wasn't anyone doing anything interesting for plants. We're different from florists because we've got quite a big range and do a lot of citrus plants. People prefer a lasting present for things like Mother's Day. They can plant it in the garden and it will last for years. It's a nicer present than something that will die in a vase."

Customers can view all the plants in stock on the company's website which was set up to by Isobel and is updated weekly with new pictures. Some plants are hand-reared but most are either sourced from Sussex nurseries, like their Christmas Poinsettias, or from Holland.

With 500-1000 plants stocked at any time, the company prides itself on its wide range which includes exotic plants citrus and olive trees. Emily said: "We supply quality traditional and unusual plants with that special 'wow' factor and the extra space has already allowed us to extend our range to include some really spectacular larger plants.

The company delivers to any address with a UK postcode and has already delivered to customers as far away as the Scottish Hebrides and the Isle of Man.

Prices start at £17 for a selection of three herbs in a basket. To see plants4presents current range of plants go to www.plants4presents.co.uk or call 0845 226 8026

Fruity Flora

For a centre piece on your kitchen table or in the sitting room that adds style and colour we simply loved these dwarf citrus trees from Plants4Presents. Plants are always a good idea to make your home look bright, fresh, added to which you can take them with you when you move. Celebrate with a slice in your G&T, from your very own lemon tree to toast your new home.

Choose from dwarf orange, lemon, limequat and kumquat trees. Order online; price excludes delivery from £23 at www.plants4presents.co.uk or call 0845 226 8026

Give a fruity festive gift

Looking for an original Christmas gift for a gardening fruit or partner? How about a decorated bay tree from Plants4Presents.co.uk. The Internet-based company is offering trees decorated with hand-tied dried oranges and limes; a 60cm (2ft) tree is priced at £25. Other quality gift ideas include cranberry bushes (£15) fruiting mandarin trees (£30), herbs, pepper plants and lots more.

To order or for more information visit www.plants4.presents.co.uk or tel: 0845 226 8026

3 Little Gems

Chris's weekly selection of the best garden accessories

It looks as if it can't be real but this pineapple plant arrives with a fruit already set. Place on a sunny windowsill and watch it ripen. It costs from £24 from 4.presents.co.uk 0845 226 8026

Looking Good in the Garden has never been easier thanks to a raft of colourful designer accessories to cheer up dull winter days. Candice Walker chooses the cream of the crop...

Indulge a loved one with a luxurious, long lasting, pink, white or yellow phaleasnopsis or 'moth' orchid £29.50 plus delivery from www.plants4presents.co.uk or 0845 226 8026

Greener Gifts

Plants4Presents have just launched a new selection of fruiting trees, including lemons, a dwarf orange, two calamondins, a pineapple plant, and bay and kaffir lime trees. The plants come in biodegradable packaging, using kraft and tissue paper for wrapping and natural raffia in place of plastic ribbons, and they come complete with a handwritten message and a pot holder or other container.

There are also more traditional plant gifts such as rose bushes in flower, orchids and planted baskets, as well as a selection of herbs, foliage plants and indoor trees. Mizuna, garlic and lemon grass are being added to the ‘plants for flavour’ selection together with fruiting tomato and pepper plants suitable for growing on a kitchen window-sill. Says Plants4Presents owner Isobel Rae, “Although we are not certified organic we do take care to stick as close to green principles as possible. In our own nursery we use organic pesticides and fertilizers.” Prices start from £18 Go to www.plants4presents.co.uk or call 0845 226 8026.

Plants for Presents.....

Mothers’ Day proved a boost for… [local] business Plants4Presents which offered flora of all kinds and colours for mums across the county.

Isobel Rae, who runs the business, picks all the plants for the website with her daughter Emily and sister-in-law Christine. They sell everything from orange and lemon trees to rosebushes and herbs.

Plants4presents.co.uk isn’t just for Mother’s Day, the business delivers for all occasions throughout the year. Gifts can be wrapped in biodegradable packaging with handwritten messages.

This season’s selection features pineapple plants, lemon trees and two sizes of calamondin (dwarf orange trees) as well as more traditional plant gifts such as rosebushes in flower, orchids and planted baskets. There’s also a selection of herbs as well as foliage plants and ornamental trees.

To order visit www.plants4presents.co.uk or call 0845 226 8026

Petal Power

Mothers’ Day proved a boost for… [local] business Plants4Presents which offered flora of all kinds and colours for mums across the county.

Why not welcome home a new mother with a beautiful twin-stem moth orchid, in a choice of white or pink, for £29.50, a vibrantly hued bougainvillea for £25 or a red dipladenia for £19. All the plants for sale on the Surrey-based www.plants4presents.co.uk website (0845 226 8026) are sent in biodegradable packaging with a gift card.

3 of the best Mother’s Day Plants

Orange Orders

Who wouldn’t like a zesty orange tree, laden with fruit and fragrant white flowers? The exotic calamondin is a dwarf orange tree which is a hybrid of Citrus reticulate, originally form South-East Asia.

The plants are long-lasting and easy to care for. Add the bitter-tasting fruit to drinks and cooking recipes. They come with a pot holder and are delivered with a handwritten Mother’s Day message on a gift card of your choice. £29.50 (excluding delivery) from Plants4Presents (0845 226 8026 www.plants4presents.co.uk)

Best places to buy online Mother’s Day Gifts

www.plants4presents.co.uk The place for citrus plants for beginners. Calamondins, for example, are small orange trees which are obliging enough to produce fruit you can cook with, and undemanding enough for anyone to grow (£24, plus £6.50 delivery)

Zest for Life

Stuck for something different to give on Mother’s Day (26 March), then worry no more. A fruiting citrus tree will still be there when the last chocolate has been eaten and the flowers have wilted.

Choose from lemon (‘Four Seasons’ or ‘Meyer’) and calamondin (dwarf orange) bushes, both of which crop well indoors all year round, from Plants4Presents, a small but growing family business.

All the plants are had picked to ensure good-sized fruit on delivery and come with a handwritten greeting card and care instructions. You can even choose your own pot holder. Prices for the bushes start at £29 excluding Delivery Call 0845 226 8026 for more details or order online at www.plants4presents.co.uk

For a longer lasting-lasting gift than a bunch of flowers, how about a stylish fruiting tree?

Stuck for something different to give on Mother’s Day (26 March), then worry no more. A fruiting citrus tree will still be there when the last chocolate has been eaten and the flowers have wilted.

This calamondin is among the new selection from family firm Plants4Presents, which also features pineapple plants, lemon trees, rosebushes in flower, orchids, planted baskets and herbs. Prices start at £18 and the 45-55cm calamondin in a metal pail is £24, excluding Delivery

Plants are attractively packaged for postage in biodegradable packaging and delivered in your choice of container with a hand-written gift card.

To find out more, see www.plants4presents.co.uk or call 0845 226 8-26 and start dropping hints in time for Mother’s Day on March 26!

These Valentine Lifesavers are a gift for those who leave it late

Another Valentine’s idea is a red rose basket that will flower for weeks or a pineapple plant with baby fruit that will ripen on your windowsill. All of these ideas can be found at Plants4Presents, a family-run business… selling plants as gifts for delivery throughout the UK.

Selections include twin stem moth orchids, olive trees, fruiting lemon trees and banana plants. All are handpicked on the day, gift-wrapped and accompanied by a choice of container and hand-written greetings card. To order visit www.plants4presents.co.uk

Fitting gifts for tricky people

Finally, growing plants are always appreciated – particularly if they are scented. Send a willow basket full of fragrant blue hyacinths from Plants4Presents (0845 226 8026, www.plants4presents.co.uk) and they should flower in time for Christmas.

Get Fruity this Christmas

Fancy some fruity festivities this year? www.plants4presents.co.uk is a… online gift company delivering fruit trees, herbs and flowering plants all over the UK.

If you’re thinking of sending plants for presents this Christmas, you can choose from a range including herb baskets, orchids and fruiting citrus trees with full size lemons for your festive tipples. All the plants come carefully gift wrapped and packed with a handwritten greeting card. Or if you’re uncertain what to send, you can always opt for a greeting card with a gift voucher and your own personal message.

Still feeling fruity? Send yourself a Christmas bay tree decorated with real fruit ornaments! Order plants now and choose any delivery date up to December 23rd.

Simply log on to www.plants4presents.co.uk to see the selection or call 0845 226 8026 for more details.