gifts

“Gardening organizers, gardening books and indoor plants head up the holiday gift hit parade this year.”

“This holiday season, gardeners will be looking for gifts that provide value, yet not at a high price,” says Charlie Nardozzi, horticulturist and editor for the National Gardening Association. “While time-saving devices are always welcome, with the downturn in the economy, more people are tending to stay closer to home. That means they are interested and have the time to take on gardening projects.”

Along these lines, Nardozzi suggests great standby and always popular gardener gifts such as a good pair of gardening pruners, sturdy gardening gloves and some seed-starting equipment.

“For the higher-ticket items, think of environmentally and fiscally responsible gifts like a battery powered mower.”

Some other popular gifts this year:

Gardening gift cards or certificates. Always the right color and size, these sure bets are offered by many mail-order gardening catalogs and garden centers. (Boost the garden streamlining another notch by printing out a list of a few drought-tolerant, disease-resistant plant varieties to try. For a list of catalogs and publications by category, check out MailOrderGardening.com.

If you’d like to shop locally, but your neighborhood garden center is closed this time of year, you may be able to order by phone or online. Or, does that special someone love garden tours? How ‘bout a day at the annual flower show? If you can’t get them a ticket in advance, make them a coupon promising free admission – and a friend to go with. Good places to search for what’s going on in your area are local or regional gardening blogs or online forums, your local newspaper’s events section (in print and online) or any garden centers, extension offices or flower show/festival Web sites.

Gardening organizers. Most of us could save time if we could just get our stuff together – literally. That’s where garden tool totes and organizers come in. “Garden totes have become de facto tools,” wrote About.com organic gardening blogger Colleen Vanderlinden in her post “Holiday Gifts for Gardeners.”

“For me, one of the most practical totes is the six-pocket canvas tote and this one, by Bracken Creek (left) is especially functional,” she noted. “It’s made of natural cotton canvas, which is strong and rip resistant. The outer pockets keep your hand tools handy and the bucket style makes it easy to find all the extras, like markers, string and ties, that you’ll toss in there. The bottom has drainage holes. Hopefully you won’t need them while your tools are in there.” Called the Bracken Creek Garden BTO Bucket Tote Bag, it retails for $18.99 at Home Depot.

Another smart choice (right) is this 23- by 44-inch Garden Gear Organizer, priced at $19.99, from Gardener’s Supply Company (www.gardeners.com/gear). Made of heavy-duty cotton canvas, it has brass hardware, clear vinyl pockets for seed packets and other small items, two large pockets for larger tools and fixed and Velcro® loops for smaller tools.  Hang on the included over-the-door hooks or attach it to a wall.  

Looking for more ideas? Check out StacksandStacks.com, Sears.com, RushGideon.com, RedEnvelope.com and Gifts.com.

Garden journals and books. You can also help the gardening-challenged organize time, thoughts or pictures with a journal or scrapbook. Bed Bath & Beyond sells one priced at $29.99.

Or, they might want to bone up on the basics with one of these recent books from Wiley Publishers, authored by Nardozzi and other National Gardening Association editors: Vegetable Gardening For Dummies ($13.59); Container Gardening for Dummies ($13.59); Composting for Dummies ($10.39) or Organic Gardening for Dummies ($13.59).

Indoor plants. Even if the person you’re buying for isn’t a gardener, why not get them something that’s good for them – and the air? Numerous studies have shown how plants filter pollutants and allergens from stale indoor air and boost our mood by replenishing oxygen. Rebecca Kolls suggests 10 holiday-blooming plants in her new blog “Celebrating the Seasons.”

In the post, Kolls suggests African violets, begonias, cyclamen, jasmine, azaleas, orchids, kalanchoe, Christmas cactus (maybe I’ll root a few cuttings of my own, at right), amaryllis and poinsettias.

Garden art and planters. The popularity of garden art and container gardening has skyrocketed the past few decades. Perhaps it’s a quick-and-easy way to add personality to your outdoor living space. Maybe it’s the portability and flexibility. Whatever the reason, there’s always room – and a growing desire – for one more stake, pot, planter or piece of art.

One of my favorites this year is Gnome Be Gone (l like the foot-high one at left – and its cousin, Flamingo-Away – at UncommonGoods.com but they’re a tad pricey at $125. A more reasonably-priced mini version (7.5 inches high) is available on sale for $38.99 from CleanAirGardening.com.

Planters, of course, can also be whimsical, like the 14.5-inch-high Gertruda the Weiner Dog (at right) from Target ($39.99). But they can also be eco-friendly, like the self-watering models sold by CleanAirGardening.com.