GARDENER’S GIFTS
Every year at holiday time, gift givers everywhere give thanks for their friends’ and relatives’ hobbies. Where would we be without culinary gadgets for the cooks, golf paraphernalia for the duffers and Sephora gift cards for those with an unquenchable desire for makeup?
Gardening offers the same gifting opportunities. However, there is a big caveat. It can be tricky to find gifts that individual gardeners will truly appreciate and actually use. Before you pick presents for gardeners, peak into their garden baskets, tool sheds or garages and take stock of their preferences. If the garden gloves in the basket look ragged, buy new ones of the same brand and size. Take a look at the plant pots and see if your gardener favors a certain type or maker. What hand cream does your household horticulturist use? I guarantee that he or she will appreciate more of it. A little research can go a long way.
The following are some great potential gift items that are tried and true. Keep the above advice in mind, but if you are stuck, a few of these items might do the trick.
Plastic Tub/Trug: Inexpensive, waterproof, easy to stack and store, and available in a lots of colors and sizes—3.5 gallon., 7 gallon, etc.–these tubs are made of heavy, flexible plastic with a handle on each side. Best of all, by bringing the handles together, you can carry them one-handed. I use the 7 gallon size as a garden basket to hold tools and accoutrements as I work my way around the garden. The larger sizes can be used to haul compost or vegetable garden harvests. They are also great beverage chillers when filled with ice and bottles or cans. It is impossible to have too many of these easy-to-clean tubs. Having a selection of colors lets gardeners designate various tubs for specific uses. The tubs are widely available at big box stores, but can also be ordered from Gardener’s Supply at http.:www.gardenerssupply.com.
Gloves: I destroy garden gloves at an amazing rate, probably because I feel impervious to injury when I wear them. The best, in my estimation, are varieties that feature a durable, puncture-resistant nitrile-coating. Nitrile-coated gloves work for everything, from weeding to rose pruning, combining comfort with good gripping ability and toughness. I wear the Atlas variety, which also features a nylon lining and elasticized wristband to keep out debris. Other manufacturers make similar gloves, which are widely available. Seek out Atlas gloves at http://www.atlasfitgloves.com.
Pots: I own lots of different plant pots, including those that are cheap, colorful, whimsical, or just strike my fancy. When I want a really wonderful container, I turn to those made by Guy Wolff or his potter son, Ben, both of whom work in Connecticut. Guy Wolff’s pots and potting techniques are based on traditional models. I especially love his “Peale Pot,” patterned after a container depicted in an 1801 portrait of Rubens Peale. Wolff’s pottery is not cheap, but some of the pottery lines associated with him contain pots available at lower price points. Ben Wolff also does beautiful work, especially in white, black or gray-finished clay. The shapes are beautiful and often sinuous. My favorite Ben Wolff pot to date is his “Tuscan Rim,” which features a lovely crimped edge at the top. A well-cared-for Wolff pot will last for years, if not generations. To find Wolff pots go to http://www.guywolff.com/index.html or http://benwolffpottery.com/about.html.
Books: There are a million garden books available, both the “how to” type and the philosophical variety. It pays to know which variety your gardener likes. Though my shelves list under the weight of many great horticulture tomes, the one that I come back to again and again is Henry Mitchell’s The Essential Earthman. Originally published in 1981, it sings as harmoniously today as it did the day it hit the presses. Mitchell, a veteran newspaperman who wrote for the Washington Post, was both a first class horticulturist and a master of the English language. The book’s chapters are studded with rhetorical jewels. Here is only one example:
“There is nothing like impossibility for getting a gardener’s energies up.”
He complaints a great deal, as all gardeners do, but even his most vehement complaints are funny, eloquent and eminently worth reading. I would go so far as to say that if I could only have one garden book, it would The Essential Earthman. Fortunately for all of us, it is still available from the big online booksellers or can be ordered through your local independent bookstore.
If all else fails, get your gardener a gift card for his or her favorite garden emporium or a membership in the nearest horticultural institution. Memberships in the American Horticultural Society and the Royal Horticultural Society are well worth it and include a monthly journal plus discounts at many botanical institutions.