IN THE GARDEN
Gift ideas that get two green thumbs up
What to buy your favourite gardener this holiday season.
In light of the season, I thought I’d share a few gift ideas that are sure to appeal to gardeners.
Assuming the gardener has been good this year (that is - they haven’t splurged too often at the garden centre, or used too many pesticides), there’s still time to line up something special. But it can be hard to get a good gift for the serious hobbyist, or for that matter, it’s hard to know where to start for the beginner.
Because I like to support local business as much as I can, I suggest arranging for a gift certificate from a locally-owned greenhouse. It is the kind of gift that, as they say, keeps on giving, and going with them to pick out the gift in the spring makes a great outing, particularly if you add a gift certificate for lunch.
A gardening magazine subscription adds colour to long winter months, and if it is a hit, you can keep renewing it every year.
Some practical gifts include high quality tools, particularly good pruning shears and pruning saws. (No exaggerating, I shed a tiny tear of joy the first time I used my Felco pruner, because it cut through a twig like butter - so many tools are hard on the hands, and break too easily). These are expensive, so perhaps a holster, tool belt or toolbox may help keep track of them.
Books on veggies and flowers are good, especially if you have a sense of their particular interests. There are some classic subjects (roses or perennials) and also newer trends that most gardeners will find interesting, such as tricks to extend the gardening season. A resource book with specific information on care and growing conditions for plants in this climate is a good all-purpose gift.
A few seed catalogues and seed packets are good stocking stuffers - especially novelties. Vesseys Seeds is a solid source for locally tested varieties. My current favourite is ‘Hope Seeds’ out of Granville Ferry, N.S., which utilizes a network of local farmers to maintain and produce heritage varieties and unusual vegetables and flowers. A quick google for Nova Scotia seeds also showed Halifax Seed Company, Annapolis Seeds and the Incredible Seed Company. Speaking of Googling, you can always google ‘gifts for gardeners’ and find lots of ideas there.
Other useful gifts? I am always wearing out gardening gloves the thin ones with a rubber grip work best for me, and I can’t get enough good socks (wool or smartwool), since gardening is hard on them. Gardening knee pads have been a godsend to me, and I love to have a few big baskets for harvest, beautiful flower pots for the doorstep, and of course, a really good wheel barrow is an essential.
If you’re shopping for children, it’s great to give gifts like seed kits, gardening tools or books on growing, because they encourage a hobby that promotes exercise and healthy eating.
A gift certificate for a garden designer/consultant, or garden helper is good for winter planning and spring cleanup, or to help with a specific project. My favourite idea was shared with me by a friend - she gets a load of manure from her husband every year. There’s a few ways you could interpret that, but don’t worry - the serious gardener knows that it’s worth its weight in gold!