The earliest Mother's Day celebrations we know of were ancient Greek spring celebrations in honor of Rhea, the mother of the gods. But those were in honor of one particular mother. England's "Mothering Sunday," begun in the 1600's, is closer to what we think of as "Mother's Day." Celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent, "Mothering Sunday" honored the mothers of England.

In 1907 Anna Jarvis started a drive to establish a national Mother's Day. In 1907 she passed out 500 white carnations at her mother's church in West Virginia -- one for each mother in the congregation. In 1908, her mother's church held the first Mother's Day service, on May 10th (the second Sunday in May). That same day a special service was held at the Wanamaker Auditorium in Philadelphia, where Anna was from, which could seat no more than a third of the 15,000 people who showed up.

By 1909, churches in 46 states, Canada and Mexico were holding Mother's Day services. In the meantime, Ms. Jarvis had quit her job to campaign full time. She managed to get the World's Sunday School Association to help; they were a big factor in convincing legislators to support the idea. In 1912, West Virginia was the first state to designate an official Mother's Day. By 1914, the campaign had convinced Congress, which passed a joint resolution. President Woodrow Wilson signed the resolution, establishing an official national Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May.

Many countries of the world now have their own Mother's Day at different times of the year, but Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Japan, and Turkey join the US in celebrating Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May. Britain still celebrates Mothering Day on the 4th Sunday of Lent — but they now call it Mother's Day. By any name, and at any date, it's a special day to honor a special person.

Have a gardening mother in your family and having trouble thinking of a gift? Bored with the usual chocolate and flowers? Try something different for Mother's Day this year! How about a gift planter?

Get a big flowerpot or a planter and fill it with things she can use in her garden! She'd surely appreciate a new pair of garden gloves, a selection of seeds, new small tools like trowels and clippers, knee pads, some good hand lotion, and other useful items she might not buy for herself.

Saturday, May 20
La Piazza Café Chef Gaetano
Grill Cooking Class
Chef Gaetano from La Piazza Café in Forest Park will teach grilling!
Class includes tastings!
Time: 10 am – 1 pm 
Cost: $60
Call for Reservations 708-366-4010

We have many Mother’s Day items in stock including:

• Many annuals and perennials
• Hats/caps
• Plant hangers
• Ceramic pots

Soil Moist is a must have for all gardening moms! It comes in a jar containing granules that mom can add to her planted pots to help retain water. Once the pot is watered, the granules expand and become jell-like in nature and retain moisture for the soil.

This week we'd like to introduce Chris!

Position: Seasonal, part-time Garden Center sales

Hobbies: Gardening

Favorite Food: Chips

Favorite Plant/Flower: Hydrangeas

Favorite Garden Center Product: Baccto Lite potting soil

Chris invites you to, “Stop in and see us for all of your gardening needs.”