Saturday, December 20, 2008
Gardeners are easy to shop for
Libba Wolfe
Libba Wolfe's column appears twice monthly in Extra.
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Some folks are nearly impossible to shop for, but gardeners aren’t on that list. The hard part is narrowing down the choices. A quick trip to a garden center or bookstore or a little computer time is sure to turn up gifts guaranteed to please.
Here are a few ideas:
Books
I’ve put a few books on my list for Santa. Our hot, dry summers are forcing me to learn about succulents. Two books — “Hardy Succulents: Tough Plants for Every Climate” by Gwen Moore Kelaidis and “Designing with Succulents” by Debra Lee Baldwin — look like good places to start. A quick scan at the bookstore made me want to settle in come January with “Plant-Driven Design” by Scott and Lauren Springer Ogden . Written by home gardeners for home gardeners, it addresses the folks who just like to watch things grow.
Spend a few minutes in the garden section of your favorite bookstore and you’re bound to find something perfect, whether it’s about plants, organic gardening or “how-to” do paths, stonework or water features.
Tools
Chances are, unless you’re giving to a beginner, your gardener has more tools than places to put them. What about a pegboard storage system for the garage or basement? Organizing tools and getting them ready for spring chores isn’t a bad way to spend some dreary winter afternoons. A sturdy potting bench for the patio might be handy. If you’re feeling really generous, how about a shed for the back yard?
Equipment
Buy the best that you can afford because heavy-duty, well designed equipment will provide years of service. All of us are spending more time in the summer watering. A rolling hose reel might make life easier. Or extra hoses and sprinklers for every outdoor faucet. Everybody needs a big watering can.
Garden tour/trip tickets
Virginia Historic Garden Week is April 18 through 25. More than 250 gardens from Roanoke to the James River plantations will be open. Tickets aren’t available till Feb. 1, but a homemade gift certificate slipped inside a stocking will bring ohhhs and ahhhs. Go to vagardenweek.org for more details.
A trip to a garden show can make all the difference to someone starved for green. If you Google “ flower show,” you’ll find pages of events starting in January and running through late spring. The Maymont show in Richmond can be a day trip. There are fabulous shows in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago and Charlotte, N.C. — actually, all over the country. Tickets, a ride, accommodations, a promise to baby-sit; there are lots of ways to gussy up this gift.
Gift baskets
You’ve seen the custom-made baskets stuffed with gourmet treats and pampering packages. Why not make one yourself? Start with a bucket — I’ve never met a gardener who didn’t collect buckets. Add sunscreen, poison ivy block, bug spray and industrial strength hand cream. Throw in plastic covered wire for tying up vines, some seed packets and top with gloves and a hat. Include a gift certificate for a manicure and/or a massage. By midspring everybody, male and female, could use a little professional attention for their hands and muscles.
Gift certificates
No, this isn’t an impersonal cop-out. Your gardener may have been dropping hints about a new trellis. Do you know what she wants to grow on it? Whether she’s dreaming of rustic metal or bright white lattice? Will it frame a path or hook to the house? We don’t want to be irritatingly picky but, hey, there are millions of different trellis styles, and some just won’t do. Gift certificates to plant and garden centers solve everybody’s problems. Not only do you get what you need, you get to spend hours browsing the plant aisles with a “paid for” in your pocket.
Consider gift certificates with landscaping professionals. A few hours of expert design time, a day of help on planting and cleanup or a regular schedule of maintenance is an extra-fine present.
You have just a few shopping days left, but with a little imagination you can be Super Santa. Have a wonderful holiday and a great 2009!
Here are a few ideas:
Books
I’ve put a few books on my list for Santa. Our hot, dry summers are forcing me to learn about succulents. Two books — “Hardy Succulents: Tough Plants for Every Climate” by Gwen Moore Kelaidis and “Designing with Succulents” by Debra Lee Baldwin — look like good places to start. A quick scan at the bookstore made me want to settle in come January with “Plant-Driven Design” by Scott and Lauren Springer Ogden . Written by home gardeners for home gardeners, it addresses the folks who just like to watch things grow.
Spend a few minutes in the garden section of your favorite bookstore and you’re bound to find something perfect, whether it’s about plants, organic gardening or “how-to” do paths, stonework or water features.
Tools
Chances are, unless you’re giving to a beginner, your gardener has more tools than places to put them. What about a pegboard storage system for the garage or basement? Organizing tools and getting them ready for spring chores isn’t a bad way to spend some dreary winter afternoons. A sturdy potting bench for the patio might be handy. If you’re feeling really generous, how about a shed for the back yard?
Equipment
Buy the best that you can afford because heavy-duty, well designed equipment will provide years of service. All of us are spending more time in the summer watering. A rolling hose reel might make life easier. Or extra hoses and sprinklers for every outdoor faucet. Everybody needs a big watering can.
Garden tour/trip tickets
Virginia Historic Garden Week is April 18 through 25. More than 250 gardens from Roanoke to the James River plantations will be open. Tickets aren’t available till Feb. 1, but a homemade gift certificate slipped inside a stocking will bring ohhhs and ahhhs. Go to vagardenweek.org for more details.
A trip to a garden show can make all the difference to someone starved for green. If you Google “ flower show,” you’ll find pages of events starting in January and running through late spring. The Maymont show in Richmond can be a day trip. There are fabulous shows in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago and Charlotte, N.C. — actually, all over the country. Tickets, a ride, accommodations, a promise to baby-sit; there are lots of ways to gussy up this gift.
Gift baskets
You’ve seen the custom-made baskets stuffed with gourmet treats and pampering packages. Why not make one yourself? Start with a bucket — I’ve never met a gardener who didn’t collect buckets. Add sunscreen, poison ivy block, bug spray and industrial strength hand cream. Throw in plastic covered wire for tying up vines, some seed packets and top with gloves and a hat. Include a gift certificate for a manicure and/or a massage. By midspring everybody, male and female, could use a little professional attention for their hands and muscles.
Gift certificates
No, this isn’t an impersonal cop-out. Your gardener may have been dropping hints about a new trellis. Do you know what she wants to grow on it? Whether she’s dreaming of rustic metal or bright white lattice? Will it frame a path or hook to the house? We don’t want to be irritatingly picky but, hey, there are millions of different trellis styles, and some just won’t do. Gift certificates to plant and garden centers solve everybody’s problems. Not only do you get what you need, you get to spend hours browsing the plant aisles with a “paid for” in your pocket.
Consider gift certificates with landscaping professionals. A few hours of expert design time, a day of help on planting and cleanup or a regular schedule of maintenance is an extra-fine present.
You have just a few shopping days left, but with a little imagination you can be Super Santa. Have a wonderful holiday and a great 2009!
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