During the month of December, the days seem to fly by. Suddenly, those leisurely hours of browsing for the perfect gifts are over and the time has come to make those last-minute acquisitions for neighbors, friends and family. For the gardeners on your list, there are numerous possibilities to delight and educate both the casual dirt-digger and the passionate hobbyist.
Quality tools are ideal gifts, since many gardeners have a tendency to spend their available resources on plant material and purchase inexpensive implements only to have them bend or break during their first season of use.
Well-made, heavy-duty trowels, pitchforks, spades and shovels are worthwhile investments and should still be available at nurseries and hardware stores.
In addition to these basic implements, there are innumerable practical tools available to make gardening chores, particularly weeding, a little easier. Long-handled cultivators and hoes enable gardeners to spend a little less time on their knees. For those who prefer to get up close and personal with their weedy invaders, there are dandelion diggers, weed slicers, cultivators and hand-forks. A kneeling pad is a perfect companion gift to accompany these hand tools and gardening gloves make a terrific stocking stuffer.
Perhaps my most valued tool is my Felco pruning shears. Clean cuts are a necessity for the health and survival of trees and shrubs, and few pruners can match the quality of the Swiss-made Felco, which tends to be the pruner of choice for professional nurserymen. Several styles, as well as replacement blades, are available, making these rather costly bypass pruners a long-term investment.
No matter what the level of expertise, a gardener can never acquire too many gardening references.
For novice dirt-diggers, books that cover gardening basics such as landscape or garden design, ornamental trees and shrubs, and pruning techniques enable a new gardener to get off to a good start and are an absolute must for every gardener’s bookshelf. A more experienced gardener may prefer references that focus on a particular topic, such as shade gardening, perennials, container gardens, planting for wildlife, or even more specialized plant collections including roses, herbs, ornamental grasses, lilies or hosta.
Magazine subscriptions to publications such as Fine Gardening (finegardening.com), People, Places & Plants (ppplants.com), and Horticulture (hortmag.com) are particularly welcome during the dreary winter months to inspire and inform the gardener on your list. A subscription to one or more gardening magazines offers a yearlong guide to the latest trends in gardening, delectable new plant introductions and innovative design concepts.
Garden accessories in the form of statuary, benches, sundials, decorative containers and garden ornaments are additional suggestions for gardening enthusiasts.
Most gardeners also share a love of nature and wildlife in addition to their passion for plants. Hummingbird feeders, bird feeders, birdhouses, and birdbaths can be enjoyed by all ages.
In this time of hectic schedules, the all-purpose gift certificate to a favorite nursery or catalog company may be the perfect choice for the gardeners on your list. This quick and easy solution will enable them to purchase plants, tools or garden ornaments they might otherwise do without.
For those of us who passionately collect plants, a gift certificate often alleviates some of the guilt associated with overspending on plant material.
Traditional holiday plants make perfect last-minute hostess gifts for the gardeners on your list. Christmas cactus, kalanchoe and cyclamen, in addition to the showy poinsettias, are available at this time of year.
A collection of holiday plants is also among the easiest and most attractive quick decorating solutions during this hectic season. A strategically placed poinsettia provides instant color to brighten even the darkest room, creating a handsome focal point or decorative element, which brings warmth and vitality to any living space. An ornamental container planted with paper white narcissus or an amaryllis bulb makes a unique and rewarding gift.
December is not the ideal time, however, to acquire houseplants. If at all possible, acquire plants on days when temperatures are above freezing. Be sure the plant is wrapped in a paper or plastic sleeve or bag to protect it from the cold, even when the temperatures are above freezing. A sudden, dramatic change in temperature can severely shock the plant, causing nearly immediate leaf or flower drop.
On very cold days, be sure the car is warmed up in advance of your purchase and make it your last stop so the plant does not sit in an unheated car while you run other errands.
The holiday season is a magical time of wishes and dreams, the laughter of children, Santa, gifts and family gatherings. Best wishes to all my gardening friends.
Suzanne Mahler is an avid gardener, photographer and lecturer who has been developing the 1.5-acre property surrounding her home in Hanover, Mass., for more than 30 years. She is a member of two local garden clubs, past President of the New England Daylily Society, an overseer for the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and is employed at two garden centers.
author: Suzanne Mahler