Christmas gift ideas for gardeners
EVEN the most curmudgeonly of us can’t put off the expectation of Christmas at this stage and our thoughts drift away from the garden for a while and focus on gift buying. If you are present searching for a gardener then thank Santa because you are in luck, one because there is no doubt that they have been good all year and two I think they are the easiest of people to by for. It can be as simple as a few packets of seeds to as extravagant as a summer or greenhouse.
A workman/woman is only as good as his/ her tools so it is said and often gardeners have secret obsessions with hand tools. They see beauty in a pair of secateurs, garden spade or fork. That is to say nothing of dibbers, mattocks and trugs. A good folding garden knife is a perfect gift. Perhaps with the blade inscribed. Try to buy the best quality tools in your budget range as you want them to last for years if possible.
Good heavy leather gloves are a luxury and very welcome, particularly those suitable for working with thorny plants. One of my biggest gardening banes is the dreaded, doggedly determined not to be removed thorn in the finger and having to dig it out with a pin.
Books on any subject are things of beauty but it is an area in which gardening excels I feel. Two coffee table books I recommend are ‘Plant- Exploring the botanical world’, which is full of 300 breathtaking photographs and An Irish Florilegium which is full of sumptuous illustrations. For kitchen gardeners experienced or novice ‘Vegetables for Irish Gardens ‘ by Klaus Laitenberger and ‘No dig organic home and garden’ by Charles Dowding are both highly practical and imformative. Reference books for the more scholarly gardener and also surprisingly found on book shelf are ‘Hilliers manual of Trees and Shrubs’ and ‘A Botanist’s Vocabulary’ by Susan Pell and Bobbi Angell which has 1300 botanical terms explained and illustrated. And for the day trippers Shirley Lanigan’s ‘ The Open Gardens of Ireland’ is invaluable.
A top class pair of wellies will be cherished if given. Check foot sizes ! A high/low garden thermometer is a fasinating object to have around the house, gardener or not. It will record the highest and lowest temperatures each day for you without you having to check every hour. A rain gauge is another interesting piece of horticultral meteorolgical kit that can be a daily source for discussion in our damp climate. For the gardening voyeurs an annual pass to a local garden or estate may be an appropriate gift and also encourages a bit of exercise to boot.
Plants ,although challenging to wrap , are the corner stone of why we garden and as a gift are always lovely to receive. Japanese maples would be high up on anyones list of desirable plants and Hamamelis or witch hazels are another group of plants that have that special tag and are often found in flower by Christmas. If not bring them indoors into the warm for a few days to force them on. Beautiful orchids abound in florists and garden centre at Christmas and are often easier to grow than you might think.
More casual gifts could be trays of primroses or Cyclamen that are in flower now. Trees given and planted on Christmas day, weather permitting, are a great way to mark a special year, time in a life, first Christmas in a new house, babies first Christmas or even in memoriam. A liitle research can be invaluable here as you want a significant gift like this to be long lived. Ask at your local garden centre for advice about suitable trees that are somewhat special; yet hardy and reliable. A special tree planted at Christmas could be located so in future years they can be adorned with lights. A gift of a tree will be a gift for decades or longer and prove that a tree isn’t just for Christmas.