Gardening hints from a gardener!

By Melanie Mathieson
Gardening Guru

Many gardeners use the cold winter months to dream about their gardens and plan the improvements for next year. Since winter is not the season to be active in the garden, family and friends sometimes forget that there are gifts, related to the garden that all gardeners would love to receive. If you have a gardener on your Christmas list, ask for hints as most will happily give some “not so subtle” hints, like leaving the plant catalog open with the beautiful plant, shrub or perennial circled in bright blue or they may let you see their wish list!
Just in case your gardener friend or family member is shy, here are a few “hints,”
Tools: Does the person you are shopping for have by-pass pruners / clippers? By-pass pruners are preferred over the clamp-type clippers as these bruise the stem you are cutting. A high quality pair of bypass pruners will last a life time and can be resharpened whenever needed. Any kind of tool is always appreciated and there are many different tools on the market. If you buy any good quality gardening tool you can’t go wrong. A well built, good quality tool like a planting shovel, hoe, rake or hand tools like a cultivator or trowel will soon become the gardener’s favourite.

Garden Decorations: How about a sun-dial, gazing ball or other garden ornament or statue? The new outdoor clocks are a really great gift for those that spend a lot of time out in the yard. If you are thinking bigger, maybe the gardener would like a trellis, bird-house, bird bath, some comfortable lawn furniture or garden bench, or even a water fountain. There are endless possibilities for garden decorations available on the market today
The Garden Wardrobe: Good quality garden gloves are a necessity and are always appreciated by the gardener. There are also many great styles now available to fit a women’s hand so check those out as women gardeners don’t have to make due with ill-fitting men’s gloves any longer. Many gardeners like the style of garden shoes that are made from rubber or plastic in a clog style and slip on easily. You can hose these shoes off to clean them and are available in both men’s and women’s sizing. Many gardeners also like foam kneeling pads or knee pads because they make the gardening chores much more comfortable. A hat with a wide brim is a must for anyone who enjoys the outdoors. A gardening shirt is also a great idea. A gift basket of sunscreen and skin care products is much appreciated by any gardener.
A Truck: Not a real truck, but one of those light-weight 2-wheel hand carts. These carts with their bar handles are much easier to pull or push than a wheelbarrow. A good quality wheelbarrow is often on the gardener’s wish list if they have large building/ landscaping plans in mind. After ten years of landscaping and improving our yard our wheelbarrow is starting to show its years of tremendously hard work but we couldn’t have moved over 60 yards of clay and black dirt, sand and gravel, rocks for the pond, 30 yards of mulch, loads and loads of garden waste and compost and all the sod removed to make way for more garden space, without our trusty wheelbarrow. I know if we got a new wheel barrow for Christmas we would be delighted. Another great investment that we made is a nursery wagon. These wagons are made of steel and are meant for heavy-duty work. Not only do the children who visit love it, but it has also earned its keep as a trusty and strong tool. It carries rocks for the pond, sod, trays and containers of plants, our cement yard ornaments and landscaping bricks. This wagon can really take a heavy load and can be wheeled around very easily. One of these wagons would make a great gift.
Tool Caddy: These are a great invention. These are a cloth bag with multiple pockets, inside and out, that fits over a five-gallon bucket. It was designed for carpenter’s tools, but works great for gardening. All of the garden hand tools fit in there and are easy to retrieve and carry around the yard. Another storage idea to steal from the carpenter’s tool isle is a tool satchel. These satchels are constructed from heavy-duty canvas or nylon and fit garden tools wonderfully. A plastic storage caddy (often used for cleaning supplies) also makes a great portable tool storage solution. Don’t just check out the yard and garden department, but check all departments in the local stores for other great ideas for tool storage.
Containers: I know many gardeners that would be delighted to receive a nice pot or other planting container for Christmas. Those who have very little space really appreciate growing plants in containers. Hanging baskets, window boxes or seedling trays are some other container ideas. Or remember a gift certificate from your local nursery so the gardener can go and choose a basket or container that is already planted in the spring.
Garden Calendar or Journal: Most gardeners enjoy flowers both indoors and outdoors so a calendar with gardening pictures can be a great inspiration. Other calendars offer may hints and tips throughout the year. Some gardeners like to keep a journal of their garden plans and plantings and there are many types of journals on the market. If you are a scrapbooker keep this in mind for the future – How surprised would your gardener be if you took pictures of their garden all through the seasons and then arranged the pictures in a scrapbook?
Subscriptions: A subscription to a gardening magazine is one way to give a gift so the receiver will think of you with each issue. Most gardeners enjoy magazines about gardening, attracting birds, butterflies, or other wildlife to our gardens. So check out the newsstand or local library for some great ideas.
If you have a gardener on your Christmas list use some of these hints to find the perfect gift for the “green thumb” in your family.