Tips on gardening gifts for your loved one this Valentine’s Day – plus find out what else needs doing in the garden this week.

NOT flowers and chocolates again – surely the way to a green-fingered person’s heart on Valentine’s Day is to make the most of the great outdoors, do some spectacular planting and wallow in luxury at the end of a hard day’s digging.

There’s an abundance of romantic gifts for the gardener, from a simple

heart-shaped garden ornament to wonderful hampers of luxurious, sweetly scented organic products to wash away the toil of the day.

Think beyond the box of chocolates to items such as these which will bring pleasure for years to come:

lAward-winning rose grower David Austin has a stunning container gift rose collection, for instance, which can be ordered to arrive on a specific date. Each rose arrives in a gift box, decorated with a rose print.

Among the gems in the collection is the St Swithun, a beautiful English climbing rose which produces large, saucer-shaped blooms in a romantic shade of pure pink blush, with a strong myrrh fragrance (pictured above.)

The containerised roses come in 6 litre pots (£24.95 including standard delivery, www.davidaustinroses.com, phone 01902 376 300).

lIf your loved one is inspired by other people’s gardens, or simply enjoys a romantic day out in the open air, an annual membership to the National Trust is a must.

It provides free unlimited visits to all of the 200 Trust gardens across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Buy gift membership  0844 800 1895 or at www.nationaltrust.org.uk. Membership starts at £37.88.

lIf she’s the apple of your eye, buy her a rosy-red Redlove bare root apple tree, excellent for both eating and cooking, which bears red fleshed fruit that has a beautiful pattern running through it and retains its colour when cooking (pictured above). Exclusive to Suttons, the tree has unusual, long-lasting, deep pink spring blossom (£24.99, www.suttons.co.uk, phone 0844 922 0606).

lAdd a touch of sparkle to your relationship – and your garden – with a twinkly red mosaic heart hanger, made with red-coloured glass shards and frost and weather resistant (pictured above). Available in different sizes from gardens2you (from £8.99, www.gardens2you.co.uk, phone 01933 624 084).

lIf you want a more personalised gift, you can name a pack of rose seeds after your loved one that can grow into a rose bush which could be  cherished forever.

Simply name your rose and www.gettingpersonal.co.uk will register the name to the unique pack of rose seeds and personalise the certificate, which you will receive with both your chosen name and the unique seed reference number allocated. It comes presented in a stylish gift tin (£19.99, www.gettingpersonal.co.uk)

lWith more hearts in mind, a delightful heart-shaped plant holder in brown rustic finish will add a touch of romance to any garden. It makes an eye-catching feature planted with cascading geraniums or ivies and can be used as a conservatory planter or outside hanging from a tree (£22.50, www.simplyaddstyle.com).

lFor someone you think is hot stuff, you might opt for a gift of a chilli plant to grow in a windowsill container, with delicious Belgian chocolates with a kick of hot chilli (pictured above and available at £9.95, www.giftinspiration.com, phone 01458 270 911)

lIf you’d rather display a token of your love artistically, create some heart-shaped topiary of your own using privet or box.

This might involve treating yourself to a suitable topiary trimmer such as the Bosch’s Isio Cordless Shape and Edge, a lightweight tool which your loved one can use afterwards (£59.99 from good stockists, www.bosch-garden.co.uk).