Can you get bespoke plants?

Hebrews12

Hi there. I'm no gardener but my dad loves gardening. He's got a big birthday coming up and I want to get him something special and I'm wondering if there's any way you can get some kind of hybrid plant - a rose or something - that can be named after him and is unique? I've had a Google but it's a bit of a minefield so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Farway

There are breeders who will name a rose for you, at a price. Same with other plants. But unlikely these will go on sale to the a public, bit like self publishing a book, limited appeal in most case

Maybe look for a named plant with his forename, or birthplace etc?

For unique, how about some sort of garden day out, learning something, or posh tea /lunch etc at some posh gardens. near me for instance is Romsey Gardens and RHS Wisley, both have silver service options for food, and occasional exhibitions / displays, at a price, maybe something near you? And come home with plant of his choosing as well?

FreeBear

Plant breeding takes time. A very long time. I doubt that you'd be able to get anything that you could give a name to in the timescale you're looking at.

Maybe find an obscure heritage variety and get a custom label made for it….

horsewithnoname

it costs several thousands minimum to have a rose named, if you want one specially bred then several tens of thousands.

fatbelly

There's probably already a plant with a suitable name. I have in the past bought Hebe Lady Ann for 'Ann' and apple Lord Lamborne for 'Mr Lamborne!'

Emmia

I'd have a look for a rose or similar to commemorate - we got a "golden celebration" rose for my in laws 50th (golden wedding is also available).

I've done other custom gifts, like a personalised lorry - it's possible to do this for about £20 (if you're ok with an actual toy and can use canva to do the artwork) or a few hundred if you want a scale replica with personalised livery etc.

I also use Etsy for custom cards for this type of thing...

twopenny

It's a nice idea but gardeners are very picky about what they plant so it's a bit of a minefield.

Certainly you could probably find a rose named for him already. In this case Google is not your friend because it will only sell what it wants to. Perhaps look for specialist forums to ask.

Does he have a favourite nursery you could take him to to choose but harder is to get him in the garden and listen to what he says. Talk to him over a cup of tea listen.

It maybe that he'd really like a wheelbarrow, a special compost maker or a special quality tool. Plant food, a pond (the plants are expensive 😲) you can find some beautiful antique troughs in reclamation places.

Gardeners can get excited about things like a whole lot of manure. Seriously. And take some memorable photos.

Broomstick

I don't know if the Heritage Seed Library still do this but years ago, as a present for someone who had everything they needed and was impossible to buy for, I sponsored a variety of a particular vegetable on the Heritage Seed list of veg at risk of extinction. The sponsorship included updates throughout the year as to how the plant was getting on. The type of vegetable was one they really weren't fond of eating and the variety's name was a silly adjective followed by the person's first name (cf. Lazy Linda). They absolutely loved it and it made them laugh a lot.

There's a lot of different eco-type sponsorships out there, maybe there's something connected to a local nature reserve or gardens that would be willing to personalise a gift? [I digress, but I've just discovered a fairly local project to me that has a scheme where you can sponsor a great crested newt for a year. I'd love someone to sponsor a newt for me 😀!]

Another possibility if he saves seeds each year, is to get a personalised stamp designed for his own seed packets, and a seed tin to keep them in. One can never have enough seed storage imo.