Remember the young lady who said all she wanted for Christmas
was
her “two front teeth”?

Well, for the moment I have all my teeth, and I don’t need ties,
shirts, socks and other useful but predictable gifts. But there
are some things for the garden I’d like.

Books Top the List

On my Christmas list are books. Every time I go to the book
store, I’m drawn to the gardening-book section. I won’t put any
of the northern writers on my list, but not out of any residual
feeling from the Civil War.

I’ve just had my fill of comments about cool springs,
illustrations of lovely, friable soil, and pictures of lilacs
and
head lettuce. I want books written by Southern garden writers.
The ones written by the people on latitude south of Rabun County
just may have a better grasp on our climate, pest problems, soil
type and growing conditions.

Tools That Will Last

I want tools that will last. Don’t give me those wimpy little
hand tools with painted flowers on them. I want heavy duty ones
that endure. Cheap tools are just that, and likely to bend just
as I’m opening ground, as daylight wanes, for a bag of
caladiums.
I want rakes and shovels whose heads will stay on the
handles.

I don’t want the accessories – Japanese gardening pants,
hose carriers in the shape of frogs, or clever garden signs that
proclaim my garden the stopping place for the world-weary
traveler. Give those to my wife. I want stuff I can use.

Gardening Promissory Notes

When my children were younger, they gave me gardening promissory
notes as gifts. Under a gardening chore was the childish
scribble, “Daddy, just let me know when you want me to do
this.”

This is such an unusual gift, so personal, and it always meant
so
much to me. I probably didn’t collect on some of them (Hmm, I
wonder if it is too late?) but they were all the more delightful
because they gave me an opportunity to spend more time with my
growing gardeners.

Put Some Thought Into It

Whatever you want as a gift or want to give as a gift to
someone,
put some thought into it. Is it useable? Or will it just sit
there? A load of compost for a gardener is really not a bad
idea.

Now that I really think about it, all I want for Christmas is a
normal gardening year. I’ve been gardening in Georgia for almost
20 years and am still looking for that “normal season.”

But then I might miss the challenge. And that reminds me –
given our rain deficit, a drip irrigation system would be
nice.