GIFTS FOR GARDENERS
Dig deep for meaningful offerings
Almost everything about Christmas will be different this year, so finding the most meaningful gift for someone special may take a little more consideration.
It's also helpful to give some extra thought when choosing gifts for gardeners, whether they're longtime pros or newbies who are just discovering the many values of this activity.
That word — gardening — I've always thought it was inadequate and quite limiting in its perceived scope, considering all it comprises and contributes.
Gardening involves a broader relationship with nature. It necessitates an understanding of the role of wildlife, especially birds and beneficial insects, like bees and other pollinators. It requires a connection to the soil and to organic soil regeneration. Gardening surrounds us with natural beauty. The tremendous number of trees and shrubs gardeners have planted provide shade, privacy, attract wildlife, absorb pollution and give out oxygen.
“Gardening” encompasses so much.
When choosing a thoughtful gift for a gardener, it's important to weigh all these connecting parts in our relationship with nature.
Quality, home greenhouses and well-constructed cold frames make welcomed gifts that allow for extended growing seasons, meaning produce can be enjoyed earlier and far longer, and some plants can be overwintered. Many exotics are now being grown locally, instead of being imported, and a greenhouse or cold frame is certainly helpful when growing these more tender crops. The standard of construction and weather tolerance are important considerations, so deal with a company that specializes in greenhouses because there are many factors to be considered.
Continually changing weather plays a key role in when and how we garden. Maximum/minimum thermometers are useful in determining how cold it gets at night, which is essential information in early spring. We have so many microclimates around this region that weather reports can't factor in all of them. So accurate cold and heat readings are very important.
Rain gauges are also helpful guides in knowing the true level of moisture in our soils.
The love affair with starting your own plants from seed isn't going away anytime soon. Propagation supplies, like seed starting kits, heating mats and grow lights all make the process easier and more successful.
A proper watering can, like the English Hawes watering can, is ideal for watering young seedlings.
Birds, our great garden allies, help control insect populations and they can be encouraged to spend more time in your garden if you put up good quality bird feeders and supply the right type of food for the species you want to attract.
Gifting a berried plant, such as pyracantha or deciduous holly (Ilex verticillata), both natural winter food sources, would also help attract local birds.
Bird baths are an important source of water during dry spells, and they're an attractive feature in almost any garden. In colder weather, bird bath heaters will keep the water open.
Anna's hummingbirds winter here so providing them with a feeder is an important winter food resource. Keeping the liquid food in the feeders unfrozen when the temperatures drop is vital, and there are heaters available that will do just that.
For many seniors who are shut in because of the pandemic, a bird feeder or hummingbird feeder can provide some much-needed enjoyment.
It's important to keep in mind the value of pollinators. The secret to attracting mason bees to your garden is to provide them with specialty bee houses as nesting sites. They are wonderful gifts, and their popularity is growing rapidly.
Pollinator plants also make great gifts and help our pollinator populations, especially those plants that flower very early or very late, like winter-flowering heathers and the winter rose (Helleborus niger).
For many seniors, gardening is one passion they are reluctant to give up. Fortunately, today there are many gardening aids that will really help those stiff knees and sore backs.
Garden kneelers are invaluable for getting up and down to plant and weed. Designed in B.C., Ez-riser is gaining traction as a simple, one-handed mobility tool. Ergonomically designed tools and long-handled trowels and forks make gardening easier and would be much-appreciated gifts.
The pruning season is now in full swing and will continue into late winter. A new pair of quality shears, loppers or pole pruners will make this annual task much easier. Extendable handles can lessen the need for ladders.
A stylish garden bench, a subscription to a garden magazine, a good gardening book, or for a bit of whimsy, rain chains to enhance eavestroughs and melodic wind chimes to add sound and movement, can all be treasured gifts. While it wouldn't be easy to fit a favourite tree or specimen plant under the Christmas tree, a gift card for one from a favourite garden store would work nicely.
Recent research has discovered that 80 per cent of folks who began to garden this year during the pandemic, either to improve the beauty around their home or for food security, intend to garden again next year. So a gift card would certainly help them out next spring.
Finally, connecting with and having a deeper appreciation and respect for nature is an important issue for more and more people. Hopefully, these gift ideas can be part of this evolving process.