Libba Wolfe

Libba Wolfe's column appears twice monthly in Extra.

Recent columns

• Thanks for the lessons you've taught me over the years
• February is full of promise for your garden
• Sow the seeds of knowledge

• Column archive

Stumped over the perfect gift for the gardener on your Christmas list? How about a pickup truck? If that's a bit grander than what you had in mind, don't despair. A little bit of time this afternoon and you'll be making check marks on your list.

Memberships: Membership in the Friends of the Community Arboretum at Virginia Western Community College starts at $10. Benefits include newsletters and invitations to members-only lectures and plant sales. If you're feeling generous, you can throw in $175 to cover the June 6-7 bus trip to see several fabulous North Carolina gardens. Go to virginiawestern.edu, search for "arboretum" and then click on "visit arboretum Web site."

Membership in the Friends of the Hahn Horticulture Garden at Virginia Tech includes discounts and advance notice for their popular seminars and free entry to a network of more than 200 public gardens across the country. Go to www.hort.vt.edu. Click on "garden" and "get involved" for details. Memberships start at $25.

Plants: It's not too late to plant shrubs. If we do have a drastic freeze next week, potted trees and shrubs can live in their containers till late winter. Don't overlook indoor plants to tide your gardener over till spring.

Tools: Sturdy pruners, trowels and weeders will last years. Buy the best you can afford.

Gloves: Pass on the cutesy gloves. This is another category where quality counts. Washable rubberized, leather and microfiber gloves will stand up to hard work. I like a bright color so they're easy to spot when I leave them in a pile of weeds.

Pots: Available in a wide range of designs, colors, sizes and prices. If you're buying an outdoor container, check with a clerk to make sure it's frost proof.

Wheelbarrows: I'm crazy about my four-wheeled, deep, plastic wheelbarrow. It's easy to maneuver and light enough to tip and empty with one hand.

Bucket Buddy: A heavy canvas bucket liner with pockets and compartments for tools and garden gadgets, the Bucket Buddy turns a plain old bucket into a portable tool shed. I couldn't live without mine.

Rain gauges: For gardeners of a certain age, get one with huge numbers. Saves a trip back to the house for glasses. Accompany with a prayer for rain in '08.

Bird feeders and bird baths: Throw in a big bag of wild bird seed and you've got a great family gift.

A load of topsoil or mulch: Maybe not under the Christmas tree, but the promise of an early spring delivery is a great gift. If you swear on Santa's head you'll help spread it, well, you'll be a holiday hero.

Garden books and magazines: Browse the bookstore shelves for books on organic gardening, indoor plants, do-it-yourself fencing, fountains and stonework. If your gardener likes perennials, I recommend Tracy DiSabato-Aust's books on design and maintenance. Pick up a copy of a garden magazine, send the subscription card in, stick a bow on the mag and you've got a yearlong gift. I look forward to my copy of Horticulture magazine every month.

Society memberships: No matter what your gardener's particular specialty is -- roses, hostas, herbs, African violets, bonsai, conifers -- I guarantee you there is a regional or national society. You'll have to spend a little time on Google to find the right one. You'll be giving the gift of newsletters, chat rooms and new friends with the same level of rabid interest.

Gift certificates: Some folks think gift cards are too impersonal. Not me. A gift certificate at a local nursery is a double present -- the actual plants and the pleasure of poking around a greenhouse for a couple of hours in March. That would be at least half the fun of being a gardener.

Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year to all!