Winter gifts for gardeners

Lately my thoughts have turned to gifts for friends and family. If you have gardeners on your list, the options are many. While I don’t recommend giving large plants, which may turn into unwelcome projects, small succulents are easy to care for. An herb in a pretty pot also makes a lovely gift, especially if it’s accompanied by some herb scissors or a cookbook. But there are plenty of choices beyond plants for enlightening and assisting the gardener or adorning their garden. bringing children into a relationship with the natural world is a worthy goal. You can encourage awareness and engagement by giving gifts such as paint-it-yourself birdfeeders or bug observation kits. The Edible Terrace has a great list (www.theedibleterrace.com/gardening-gifts-for-kids) that includes a small wheelbarrow and a sweet build-a-bouquet play set. A search for “gardening with children” at goodreads.com brings up an enticing assortment of books. After you look it over, order one or more from your favorite local bookstore.

But what about the gardener who seems Botanical Garden, describes the new book Gardenlust as “a beautiful tour through some of the loveliest gardens in the world!” Garden-themed calendars, datebooks, or stationery can be quite elegant and are easily found locally at museum shops, the Gilded Page, Array, and other shops, as well as online, at the Met Store (store.metmuseum.org), for example.

A pleasingly presented gift card to a local nursery or bookstore is always welcome and appreciated. And a giftmembership to the Santa Fe Botanical Garden or the New Mexico Native Plant Society can open the garden gate to new experiences and friends in the coming year.