GREAT GIFTS FOR GREEN THUMBS
Something for all: Gardeners as well as the birds and bees will love our holiday gift guide
Gardeners are the easiest people to buy for at Christmas. There are so many things that make us happy. And the good news is, most of them are not terribly expensive.
If you put a nice pair of gardening gloves together with some plant twine and throw in a simple, sturdy trowel, we would be thrilled ... and you could do all that for under $ 20. Well, it’s the thought that counts, right?
This year, more than ever, gardeners are thinking about the bigger world around them — the environment, creatures living in it, the need to show nature more respect and to do anything and everything to protect and preserve the beauty around us.
So with this in mind, I think many gardeners would like to receive gifts that help them to help the little lives in their gardens — birds, bees, butterflies, and all the good, beneficial bugs and organisms.
Bees are under attack. They need everyone’s help, especially that of gardeners, to thrive.
Of course, we help these important creatures to flourish by growing lots of pollen- and nectar- laden flowers, but we can do more.
In spring, mason bees go looking for places to nest. Gardeners can help by putting up little bee houses. You’ll find a wide assortment of shapes and sizes, from the humble single- hole retreat box to multi- roomed chalet box. Prices range from $ 12.99 to $ 59.99.
If you want to add extra interest to the gift you could throw in a useful little book on the topic, Pollination with Mason Bees: A Gardener’s Guide to Managing Mason Bees for Fruit Production by Dr. Margriet Dogterom ($ 16.95). It tells you everything you need to know about mason bees and their cousins, honey bees and bumblebees, but mostly it focuses on how we can help mason bees thrive and continue with their valuable work of pollination.
You’ll find an excellent selection of bee houses at most garden centres, but I was particularly impressed by the display at GardenWorks at Mandeville on Marine Drive in Burnaby.
One of the nicest looking insect nesting boxes has a bright- red cover and beeshaped hole at the entrance, which acts as a protective guard to keep flickers and other predatory birds at bay. You can get one of these for $ 19.99.
You’ll also find Peek- a- Boo boxes that allow sneak looks inside during the nesting cycle. This would be good if you want to show children what is happening.
To encourage other pollinating and beneficial insects, there’s the Insect Hotel, which not only has nesting tunnels for bees, but pieces of wood and insulation to protect other insects from cold and wet and other predators.
This is designed to help small summer bees and leafcutter bees as well as ladybugs and lacewings.
If you want to go the whole hog, consider putting together a whole collection of these types of boxes — there are also ones for supporting butterflies, toads and bats ( hmm, maybe not for everyone). These boxes take up very little room and can be located where they are not visually intrusive. Birds also need our help. Wild Birds Unlimited, a superb little shop on East Broadway, is a wonderful place to find all kinds of products that gardeners can use to help birds.
One of my favourites is WindowAlert, a protector that stops birds crashing into a mirror- like window and stops them from catching their own reflection.
Another good idea is to get a heater for a hummingbird feeder. This keeps the sugary water from freezing and allows Anna’s hummingbirds to keep feeding throughout winter.
Nesting boxes are always a nice addition to a garden. You can get small ones, suitable for chickadees, or ones with larger holes for flickers.
Feeding birds is another helpful thing to do but you don’t want to inadvertently create other problems, such as spills that attract creatures you don’t want, or feeders that serve squirrels more than birds.
John Morton, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited, has all the answers, including a state- oftheart squirrel- buster feeder with a clever mechanism that shuts off all access to seed if a squirrel touches it.
He also has safety net- like catchers or trays that fit under a feeding station to prevent seed falling to the ground. All very clever.
You can also buy “tidy dining food” for birds that is a nomess blend featuring husk- free seed, designed to be gobbled up too fast to leave a mess.
For people, particularly children, wanting to have a go at feeding birds, there is an inexpensive starter- feeder, Clinger’s Only Bird Feeder, that is perfect for attracting titmice, nuthatches, goldfinches and chickadees. You can get this feeder and a bucket of seed to get started for under $ 25.
And if you think the gardener in your life would like to do something nice for birds but doesn’t want a long- term commitment, how about picking up a Christmas ( suet) Cake, which can be placed in a little cage and hung from a tree and will attract all sorts of interesting birds, including woodpeckers.
All gardeners, of course, love getting new cuttings tools — pruners, saws, scissors, loppers and the rest.
I spotted a nice DiamondSharpening Stick for $ 9.75 at Lee Valley Tools that would be perfect for giving pruners and loppers a new sharp edge. Good stocking stuffer.
I also liked the idea of having a pair of stainless steel foldaway Scissors- You- Can- Run- With. Perfect to have on hand to snip twine when tying up vines or perennials. These scissors fold down to 7.5 cm ( 3 inches) and cost $ 8.50.
All gardeners love getting new pruners. Felco are top of the line, but I have had nothing but success with Lowe’s anvil pruners, which tolerate all my carelessness and abuse. There are four kinds available, ranging in price from $ 42.50 to $ 59.50.
A compact pruning saw is another excellent tool that all gardeners can put to good use when a branch is too thick for the anvil pruners. Japanesestyle ones are ideal as they fold up neatly and cut precisely. You can get one for as little as $ 15.90 or even get one with a set of pruners for $ 27 in a “pruning set.” If you want to go top of the line, look for Silky saws, which are also folding, and range in price from $ 33.50 to $ 52.50.
In the category I called “dead practical things,” I would suggest not balking at the idea of giving what may appear to be rather dull items. Trust me, gardeners, love these things: twines, all kinds ( Velcro, soft rubber, spongy foam, sisal and jute); kneeling pads rather than kneelers; plant stakes ( any kind), watering cans, rubber shoes and gloves ( especially Watson brands).
The gardener in your life would also get good use out of a trenching/ transplant spade, great for lifting and dividing perennials, or a mini- shovel ( measures only 90 cm and looks like a child’s spade), ideal for mixing soil and digging in tight corners.
You can pick up a transplant spade for about $ 50 and a mini- shovel for $ 15.
Finally, just for fun, how about the gift of a colourful Mayan hammock ($ 99), made by the Amerindian people of the Yucatan peninsula? Looks like a cool place to hang out in summer.