What man could get away with giving his wife a truckload of
topsoil for her Christmas
gift? I did and survived! That’s when you know you’re married to
a real gardener.
What do you give a gardener? Just about anything having to do
with plants and soil. And
you don’t have to search the malls to find them.
Garden tools are always a favorite. However, quality is a
must. Be sure handles are
well-attached and metal parts can stand up to rocky or hard clay
soil.
There are special tools for children, left-handed gardeners
and people with arthritis
or other disabilities. There are long-handled tools for people
who can’t kneel. And all
gardeners appreciate kneeling pads and garden scooters.
A good garden cart makes a super gift. This large box on
wheels, a hybrid of the
wheelbarrow, may be less maneuverable in tight spaces but
doesn’t require a balancing act
to handle.
Larger models with pneumatic tires make moving massive loads
over rough terrain a
breeze. Angled front edges or removable front panels allow easy
unloading.
A bag of special fertilizer could make someone happy. A
friend gives five-gallon
buckets of homemade compost to fellow gardeners. And there’s
always that truckload of
topsoil or pine bark.
Can’t decide among the pretty plastic pool, a power pruner or
a pink pachyderm
pourspout? A gift certificate from a garden center or nursery is
always welcomed. Maybe
the gardener has wanted a Japanese maple, prize-winning day lily
or special rhododendron.
Let the gardener decide. You just provide the wherewithal.
If you give a plant, pick something unusual. Don’t just add
to the houseplant
collection. You may jump-start a lifelong interest in orchids or
heirloom roses.
Most serious gardeners are annoyed by unnecessary
accessories. They don’t want a $4
ceramic marker for a $2 rosemary plant. They’d rather have two
plants.
I was given one of the ZooDoo (made from zoo fertilizer)
pets. I just put it in the
garden and it melted away, adding fertilizer — not a bad gift
idea if you’re a special
friend.
Pots for inside and outside are always welcome. And don’t
forget vases — most
gardeners want to bring cut flowers inside.
One useful idea is to give a beautifully painted mailbox for
the garden, for storing
tools and gloves.
For those with bigger gardens and budgets, choose from a zoo
full of animal statuary.
How about a playful giraffe to greet visitors at the garden’s
entrance? Or a host of jolly
hippos spritzing water into the pool?
For smaller yards, a nice beehive or a half-barrel water
garden makes the ordinary
extraordinary.
What about garden lights to enhance the evening? Or stepping
stones to keep feet dry or
guide little footsteps?
Perhaps the gardener would like a garden bench. Gardens are
for relaxing, and there
should always be a resting place for meditation.
If you’re handy with carpentry, build a potting workbench, a
bench with storage for
tools, shoes and gloves. Or build a trellis for a climbing rose
or an arbor for a wisteria
or grape vine.
Clothing and shoes are always welcome and can include aprons,
"wellies"
(rubber boots) and the ever-useful clogs. No gardener has too
many gloves — a dozen plain
jersey gloves are comfortable and washable.
There are many bird and now butterfly houses, too, as well as
feeders, waterers and
special plants.
And when the gardener isn’t playing in the dirt, he or she is
reading about it. Delight
your favorite gardener with garden books. You can now find any
type, including
combinations with cooking, canning, drying, flower arranging and
traveling.
Gardeners are easy to buy for. As long as it’s for the
garden, you can’t go wrong with
the gift.
