Released December 14, 2009
AMES, Iowa – A common holiday challenge is finding that perfect gift for the person who has everything. If you have a gardener on your list there is no need to worry. Gardens and gardening are always a work in progress. Avid gardeners are a forgiving lot and appreciate anything from a fancy garden tool to a nice bag of “dirt!” The possibilities are endless.
Tools are a good start
While there are many specialized tools on the market, a basic implement such as a shovel, trowel, rake, or weeder is always popular. If your gift recipient has limited physical abilities consider tools with assistive features ─ such as ergonomic pruners or power trimmers. A wide range of such tools are available. Even a new hat or pair of gloves will be welcomed and usually well worn by the end of the year.
Books or magazine subscriptions
Since gardening is such a seasonal hobby, many gardeners will spend countless hours poring through reading material during the winter. Books and magazines are sources of ideas and inspiration for the next gardening season and are uplifting during the long days of winter. An enormous selection of material for any taste is available. As a locally useful choice, the 2010 Garden Calendar from ISU Extension ─ a bargain at just $6 per copy ─ is just one of many publications available from your local county extension office or online at wttp://ww.extension.iastate.edu/store. The monthly hints and tips in the Garden Calendar help guide both novice and expert gardeners throughout the gardening season, and the “growing green” ideas will inspire more sustainable gardening practices.
Soil amendments
Gardeners don’t mind getting a little dirty – in fact compost and other soil amendments are appreciated enormously. These gifts are more appreciated if they come with the labor to help incorporate them into beds and borders in the spring. For the adventurous, perhaps a can of worms (literally!) for vermicomposting would be a welcome treat.
Containers and garden accessories
Decorative containers are another category of gifts for which the possibilities seem endless. Plant containers are available in every conceivable size, shape and composition, and many can be used even without plants as an attractive focal point indoors or out. With knowledge of your gardener’s tastes, other whimsical items such as various forms of garden art may be suitable. Wind chimes, bird baths, gazing globes, even a garden gnome can showcase the personality of the gardener and your relationship.
Journal
Maybe your gardener is highly organized (or disorganized) and would like a garden journal. Keeping good records of plantings and how different plants have performed in the landscape helps transform a novice gardener into an expert. Various garden journals are available for purchase. If a special homemade touch is desired, then journals can be fabricated with any materials that provide a reasonably weatherproof and durable means to record information while in the garden.
Higher-priced items
If your budget allows, there are, of course, higher end items to consider. For example, photography is often a companion hobby to gardening. Cameras and their accessories (lenses, tripods, carrying bags etc.) are essential tools for the gardening photography enthusiast. Mechanized tools such as lawn tractors, rototillers, chainsaws, and the like would also fit the bill for a pricier budget.
Inexpensive gifts can carry bigger message
However, a special quality of garden gifts is that they don’t have to be expensive to be fully appreciated. One of my favorite Christmas gifts was a packet of bush bean seeds that cost less than two dollars. This gift was loved because with it came the promise to help create the vegetable garden that I had always wanted the upcoming spring.
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http://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2009/dec/061102.htm
Source: Cindy Haynes, (515) 294-4006, chaynes@iastate.edu
