Despite the economic upheaval the country is experiencing, it is possible to find reasonably priced gardening-related gifts for Valentine’s Day.

Because roses are expensive at the best of times, consider flowering plants instead. These tend to last longer than flowers, and are very well received. For a Valentine’s Day plant, shop at a reputable store, such as a florist or local nursery. Plants from big box stores aren’t always top quality.

If ordering from a local florist, save the delivery charge. Deliver it in person to your loved one.

Typically, gift plants from florists will already have special Valentine’s Day wrap around the pots and a decorative bow.

Along with gift plants or flowers, consider giving other garden-related items for Valentine’s Day. Examples include gardening gloves, garden tools and supplies, and gardening books.

Personal care items created specifically for gardeners are very welcome gifts for Valentine’s Day. Examples include gardener’s hand cream and lotions, gardener’s hand soaps, plant-based insect repellents, and sun screen. Why not create a gift basket for these items? Purchase an attractive basket, and line it with red tissue paper. Fill it with the skin care items you’ve selected.

Gardening kits make great Valentine's gifts. These are available at nurseries, and garden stores. The Matchstick Garden line is one example. These include kits for herbs, wildflowers, and vegetable gardens.

For Valentine's Day, the best kits by far are the Love Garden kits from Gifts That Bloom. These include a preplanted, beautifully decorated planter. All the gardener needs to provide is sunshine and some water.

For indoor gardeners, the Petit Coco gardening kits are the most gorgeous herb kits around. These include a container with potting soil and herb seeds. You can choose from either blue, orange, or red containers in two styles, which include a casserole and a tea kettle.

Taterpots are fun, trendy herb kits with beautifully decorated containers shaped like potatoes. This comes complete with potting soil and herb seeds. The Taterpots are available in two sizes, short and tall. The herb choices include mint, oregano, and basil.

Gardeners would love to receive garden-related stationery items for Valentine’s Day, particularly those from Galison. Galison has all sorts of garden-themed designs.

Let’s start with Nature’s Cabinet Nests and Eggs Keep It Box set of note cards from Galison. New for 2008, this assortment contains 20 note cards and 21 matching envelopes with five each of four designs depicting lovely birds’ nests and eggs. When the cards are gone, the sturdy, stylish box can be used to store seeds, plant labels, and small gardening items.

For 2008, Galison has also added flower-related Social Note sets. The beautifully decorated boxes with magnetic closures contain 20 lovely flat cards of two designs with matching envelopes. Galison has several Social Note designs that will appeal to gardeners. These include Origami Lane with lovely pink flowers, the William Morris Petals and Vines, and Botanica with an assortment of different blossoms.

Galison’s new Memo Box sets would also make great Valentine’s gifts for gardeners. The attractively decorated boxes with a magnetic closure contain 250 sheets of colored paper. Refills are available. The Memo Boxes come in various garden-related designs, including Cherry Blossom, Botanica, Origami Lane, and the William Morris Petals and Vines.

Gardeners would love other floral-decorated stationery items as well, particularly Galison’s fashionable Sticky Notes, which are much more attractive than ordinary Post-Its. For 2008 Galison is offering Confetti Garden Sticky Notes for the first time. This set comes in a lovely durable portfolio containing eight different kinds of decorated stickers in three assorted sizes for a total of 480 stickers in all.