For the Gardner in Your Life

By Neil Moran

             If you live with a gardener you may not know what kind of garden gift to get him or her anymore than I would know what to get a golfer. (I’d rather see a beautiful golf course than play golf.)

Here are some garden gift suggestions for that special person in your life. Or, if you’re a gardener, you may want to add these items to your own wish list. With the exception of the garden ornaments mentioned below, these are all “can’t do without” items in my garden.

The Proplugger 5 in 1 You might call this the Swiss Army knife for gardeners. It performs a variety of functions, all from a standing position. You can use it for its original purpose, which is to remove healthy plugs of soil from one area of a yard and plug bare spots in another area. It also is a huge labor saver for planting bulbs: tulips, daffodils, crocus—even garlic and onion sets. When you visit the website (Proplugger.com) you’ll be able to view how-to videos on plugging sod and planting various common bulbs with the 5 in1.

Cobra Weeder and Cultivator For many gardeners, including me, the Cobra Weeder and Cultivator (cobrahead.com) is a garden must-have. It’s a quality built tool built by a family-owned company that is used to weed and cultivate around flowers and vegetables. It has an ergonomic handle and a metal “claw” that can handle the toughest soils and stubborn root systems. The short-handled tool sells for $24.95, the long-handled tool sells for $59.95.

A compost bin I know, this probably doesn’t make many Christmas wish lists. However, a compost bin is something a gardener will really appreciate. Turn kitchen scraps into “black gold” with a tumbler or pyramid compost bin. However, not all compost bins are created equal, and some, quite frankly, are a waste of money. I like what Gardener’s Supply Company (gardeners.com) has to offer. The company sells a tumbler type of compost bin, which is like a round barrel on a rotating frame. You have to turn the bin two to three times of week to get the compost “cooking.” The second type is a pyramid compost bin. Simply add the organic matter to the top of the bin and the debris will gradually break down until it comes out the bottom as dark, rich humus. Both are priced at about $150.

Garden ornaments OK, now we’re getting closer to what one might have on their Christmas wish list. To be honest, I’m not big on garden ornaments. In fact, I’d rather spend money on something I can grow to eat, like strawberry plants or blueberry bushes. However, I know that women in particular love garden ornaments almost as much as jewelry. Like jewelry, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Having said that, Gardener’s Supply Company has some of the coolest ornaments for the garden, including their glass raindrop mobile and gazing globes that come in various colors. And if you’re looking for more garden ornaments, type in “garden ornaments” in Pinterest for hundreds of ideas.

Garden magazines Talk about a gift that keeps giving! There is nothing like curling up with a garden magazine on a cold Winter night. For organic gardeners, particularly vegetable gardeners, I recommend Organic Gardening magazine. Even if you or your loved ones aren’t organic gardeners, I’d recommend this magazine. The advice is top-notch and they keep you up to speed on what other gardeners are doing around the country. They also offer yummy recipes each month. Other good picks for gardeners include Fine Gardening, Horticulture and Birds & Bloom.

Garden gloves In my younger days I never would have thought to wear garden gloves for hoeing, pulling weeds and the like. Now I can’t do without them. This could be a good stocking stuffer. Garden gloves run the gamut, from a $5 pair at Home Depot to the nearly $20 pair made especially for women at womanswork.com

I hope this gives you some ideas for that gardener that has everything. Happy holidays!

Neil Moran is a freelance writer and avid gardener who can be reached at [email protected]

 

 

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