Gifts for Gardeners
We may not be gardening right now, but we still have needs!
Even though there is snow on the ground and summer’s gardens are a distant memory, we gardeners are planning for the upcoming growing season. Just because we are not out there digging and planting doesn’t mean we are not gardening in our minds. As seed catalogs roll in with unwanted junk mail this time of year, the fervor intensifies.
Satisfy and inspire your favorite gardener this gift-giving season. From seeds to services, there is something for everyone.
Tools
There is nothing like sharp new clippers and loppers when it’s time to prune fruit trees in late winter. Add a pruning saw and a ladder to make a complete set.
Speaking of sets, hand tools frequently come bundled. It’s easy to find a set containing a trowel or two, cultivator/hoe combo, weeder, rake, or pruners. Some include a tote or toolbox, or you could buy the tools separately and package them up in a terra cotta pot with some gloves and seeds and tie an earthy ribbon around it.
Handpick a set of larger tools to bring a smile. Put bows on a shovel, iron rake, metal rake, hoe, edger, pitchfork, and, for no-till practitioners, a broadfork. As soon as weather permits, your gardener will be ready to tackle spring chores!
Put a hose and a new wand in a wheelbarrow or garden cart. A hose reel is handy for those who don’t like their hoses crisscrossing the yard all summer, too.
Tools don’t seem so romantic, but they are oh so welcome!
Plants
Interior plants make wonderful gifts when we can’t get outside to garden. A store-bought or homemade terrarium, amaryllis bulbs, houseplants large and small, and countertop herb gardens help us beat the blues and keep us in the dirt while we wait for spring.
One year, my mother gave me her beloved pewter bowl with paperwhite bulbs nestled in a shallow layer of small rocks. It didn’t look like much at the time, but in mid-winter with many feet of snow on the ground, their delicate blooms scented my living room. What a relief from the cold and hope for the spring!
Succulents are popular and low-maintenance. All sizes and shapes, they can live in small containers such as upcycled teacups. Scour thrift stores for unique pots. Be sure to drill a hole in the bottom for drainage, then fill your windowsills with succulents!
Accessories and decór
Gardens and landscapes are not just made up of plants. We like to dress up our favorite flowers, herbs, and vegetables in whimsical or traditional containers. We weave them around wrought iron trellises and cedar arbors. We add garden sculptures for contrast and visual interest and like to make winding paths of stepping-stones through our luscious green havens. These items are as important as plants!
If you prefer to get something more “practical,” consider rain barrels and irrigation, birdhouses and nesting pockets, hummingbird feeders, a birdbath, or a bat house to attract those big bug eaters. A teak bench is an ideal place to admire the gardens and listen to a gurgling fountain.
A wide-brimmed hat and UPF clothing (ultraviolet protection factor) with UV (ultraviolet) protection say, “Stay safe outside, please!” Complete the outfit with garden clogs, an apron with lots of pockets, and maybe some knee pads.
Smaller items we like are harvest baskets, flower vases, garden-themed jewelry and wall art, and moisturizing hand soaps and lotions for the end of the day after a relaxing time in the hammock.
But we would not turn up our noses at big gifts. A rototiller, greenhouse, gazebo, compost tumbler, potting bench, or new shed are wise investments that would get plenty of use.
After the ground thaws
Some must-have things are not available until spring. Buy or make a garden-themed card with a personal gift certificate for a certain item. Promise a yard or truckload of compost, topsoil, mulch, or gravel. Package the card in a large box for effect. Vow to make hanging baskets to decorate a portal.
Gift certificates to a favorite nursery catalog or store will not get wasted when it’s time to plant. Offer to have a professional landscaper do spring clean-up — cleaning flower beds, pruning, fertilizing, and checking the irrigation.
From the heart
Giving does not have to be materialistic. What we give of ourselves can be more meaningful for giver and recipient.
Offer to work a day or weekend to help weed, till, plant, rake and spread compost, gravel, or mulch. Take tools and equipment to be sharpened or repaired. Divide and share your perennials, shrubs, and vines, and gift your extra seeds as well.
Help with big projects, such as building decks or fences, planting trees, laying flagstone, building an horno, or putting up that new greenhouse your friend got. Working together makes it more fun and less difficult.
A lot of gardeners like listening to podcasts while they work, so make a list of informative and entertaining gardening podcasts. For readers, make a list of websites and newsletters.
These are not just holiday gift ideas. We like garden supplies any time of year — birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, anniversaries, or if you just want to say, ‘I think you might like this.’
Originally published in the Taos News.
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