Growth industry
Gifts for gardeners promise future benefits
Reconsider amaryllis this holiday season. Instead of going traditional, be daring and look for something a little bit different when choosing gifts for dedicated and budding gardeners.
Albuquerque has plenty to offer, from slightly different takes on the usual gardening gear to the more unexpected. Visit Hanayagi for authentic Japanese garden tools and decorative items or check out the indoor grow lights at All Seasons Gardening, for example.
Mary Burnett de Gomez has been cultivating a collection of specialty items at Hanayagi-The Japanese Garden Shop in the Northeast Heights for more than 30 years.
“There’s a little bit of everything in here. It’s kind of amazing,” she says, adding, “I am known for authentic Japanese items.”
Among the most popular gift items she carries are a Hori Hori digging and weeding knife that sells for $44 and bonsai scissors for $60.
The Hori Hori is a versatile and popular tool that many gardeners have not yet discovered, and bonsai scissors also have many uses.
“I use mine out in the garden,” Burnett de Gomez says. “They’re very, very sharp.”
Two other tools she recommends are a versatile Japanese-made hand hoe that is sharp and has a pointed end for $29 and a hand rake for $19.
“This is one of my favorite, favorite tools,” she says of the rake. “It’s really great for getting under shrubbery.”
You’ll also find decorative items for the garden or patio at Hanayagi, including wind chimes ranging from $16 to $95, statues such as buddhas or a pair of love cranes for $289, and koinobori, colorful, carp-shaped windsocks traditionally flown in Japan in honor of Children’s Day in early May. The koinobori come in a variety of sizes and colors for about $20.
Kits to create a bamboo fountain range from $52 to $69 and include the bamboo, tubing and a small pump — everything except a pot — and are simple to set up.
Hanayagi stocks bonsai plants and supplies as well as ikebana vases and supplies. Burnett de Gomez is an expert at ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, and teaches classes.
All Seasons Gardening offers everything you need to grow plants indoors. The store caters to everyone from hobbyists to medical marijuana industry growers and is accustomed to helping put together gifts.
“Our store sells to all walks of life,” says sales rep Jay Davis, adding that some customers are growing with soil while others are using water-based hydroponic or aquaponic systems (similar to hydroponics but with fish).
A recent trend that makes a good gift is a deep water culture mason jar herb garden — you can find lots of examples on Pinterest. The herbs grow in a planting medium in a net pot that is placed in the jar. An air stone and air line supply oxygen.
At All Seasons, the supplies will cost about $30 to $40, Davis says.
Another more traditional option will suit gardeners who want to fill their flower beds or vegetable plots with unusual plant varieties not found at nurseries. With a simple set up, they can easily start seeds indoors in the dead of winter — and get a gardening fix — then have plants ready to put in the ground by spring.
A basic kit, including an aluminum light fixture and bulb and seed starting basics, will cost about $20 to $30, Davis says.
Books are another great winter option to help get gardeners through those cold days before it’s possible to get out and start planting. Page 1 Books has a variety of gardening and landscaping titles.
“We try to focus on the Southwest because it’s different here,” says Courtney McCullough. “When people move here, that’s what they want to learn.”
“Down to Earth: A Gardener’s Guide to the Albuquerque Area” is now available in its fifth edition for $29.95. Written and published by the Albuquerque master gardeners, it has basics about gardening here, a monthly calendar of chores, plant lists, tips and more.
Other popular books are “The Best Plants for New Mexico Gardens and Landscapes” for $34.95 and “Southwestern Landscaping” and “The Xeriscape Handbook,” both available for about $10.
Among new releases this year, “Happy Cactus,” which sells for $14.99, is a good bet, McCullough says.
He added that Page 1 has both new and used books so it’s often possible to find a used copy in good condition at a great price.
At Osuna Nursery, there are some unusual items mixed in with the more traditional. Instead of regular gloves, for example, try a pair of the Dig It gloves made specially to protect nails with a reinforced pillowtop protector built inside each fingertip for $22.99.
While “it’s not necessarily flashy,” frost cloth might be a welcome gift to protect plants in the dead of winter, says Corie Chambers, marketing director for Osuna.
Chambers also recommended Knee Armor knee pads from Tommyco starting at $12.99 as an alternative to a foam kneeling pad. The knee pads, which come in a variety of styles and prices, are suited to many garden chores — just strap them on and go without the hassle of moving a pad around as you work.
Another essential tool recommended by Osuna is a pair of GrowTech hand pruners, which feature a replaceable high-carbon steel blade and sell for $20.99. A Corona sharpening tool for $10.99 might make a good add-on or a separate gift. Gardeners who haven’t already cleaned and sharpened their tools before storing them would do well to get that done over the winter.
Osuna carries Sloggers waterproof clogs for $32.99. These extremely popular shoes are comfortable, easy to clean and made in the U.S. Gardeners use them for everything from digging and watering to cleaning out the chicken coop.
Gardeners also might appreciate a decorative take on a functional item, such as a watering can ($34.99), plant stand ($17.99), colorful pillows ($24.99 to $69.99) or a bird bath ($252.99).
And if you want a traditional gift after all, Osuna will be stocked up on poinsettias and amaryllis for the holidays.