Meyer Spruce Grows (in honor of new life)

I've been wanting to blog about the favors I bought for my sister-in-laws baby shower, but I had to wait until it was over to do so (didn't want to spoil any surprises). She knew about them, but the guests didn't, and you just never know who's reading the blog. The shower was this afternoon and it was beautiful. I didn't get to stay too long, because my son came down (swiftly) with a fever and stomach bug so we had to leave.

She and her husband wanted to keep their shower as ecofriendly and U.S.A. produced as possible, so instead of giving some trinket or a very expensive box of organic chocolate that's gone in 2.2 seconds, I ran the idea of getting saplings or plants for guests, and she liked it. I like something living, that grows, so it acts as a  constant reminder of the baby.

Baby shower favors

My sister-in-law actually did something like this for me when my grandmother died. My grandmother's name was Rose, so my sister-in-law got us all rose bushes to plant in remembrance. Every day when I see that rose bush, I think of both my grandmother and my sister-in-law. I thought that having a tree that grows for 100+ years was a good way to mark the coming of the baby.

I was able to locate a place in Minnesota, The Green World Project, that provides all types of saplings. I called to see what would be the most ecofriendly yet attractive favor option. The Meyer Spruce is best overall, because it does well in both shade and sun, and is drought tolerant. There were trees that would look better on the table, like the Blue Spruce, because the Meyer Spruce get rust and purple needles on them in the winter (when they are dormant). However, longevity was key, and the sun/shade option, so that's what I got. Anyhow, once the trees go home with the guests, and sit in a warm house, they think they are back in season, and start growing new needles.

Green World Project ships the saplings the week of the event, which keeps them fresh and care-free. I ordered both 4" saplings and coir pots to plant them in. They stay in the pots until they can be planted in the springtime. They get planted in the coir and the coir biodegrades so there is 0% waste.

The saplings came bundled in groups of 25, wrapped with a little bit of plastic wrap.
The coir pots were stacked in sleeves of 25, loose in the box. Very ecofriendly.

I bought potting soil to put in each pot with the sapling, making it easy for people to bring the trees home and care for them. This makes it more likely that the tree will be taken care of and planted. I have a couple extra, so the baby will have lots of trees planted in my yard.

After I potted them, I made little tags with care instructions. It's so simple. Keep the saplings watered, store them in a sunny window, and once it warms up for spring, plant the saplings in their own pot or directly in the ground. Apartment dwellers can put them in large pots and allow them to grow for many years, then plant them somewhere special when they outgrow the pot.

Simply perfect.

For more information on The Green World Project, visit http://www.greenworldproject.net/.