The gift-giving season will soon be upon us, and with it comes the struggle to find the perfect present. If there are gardeners on your list, here are a few suggestions from an expert of what they will actually use to make your holiday shopping a little easier.
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Dish the Dirt
Ok, it’s not romantic, but most gardeners I know would appreciate a gift certificate from the local landscape supplier for a good dose of dirt in the form of a planter mix or compost.
If your gardener is planning to make new garden beds in the New Year, the planter mix – a combination of compost, soil and wood fines that is ready to use – is the best thing you can give. The mix makes new beds nearly effortless. Rather than digging into the soil to make the bed, lay down planter mix and plant. Planter mix is also great for container plantings.
Although not dirt exactly, compost is particularly useful in existing gardens. The gardener spreads an inch or so in beds or around plants. The compost acts like a mulch, and, as the compost breaks down, it yields nutrients and other good stuff for the soil, microorganisms and plants.
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The Right Tool for the Job
Another less-than-glamorous but much appreciated gift is a spade made for digging. The narrow blade is spear-shaped and sometimes serrated. My Spear Head Spade makes digging perennials easy-peasy. It’s also good for shrubs because the blade is pointed at the end and narrow, allowing more precise digging so as not to destroy a plant’s roots.
Another favorite is CobraHead, a tool that’s perfect for removing weeds. It comes in several sizes, including a long-handled weeder. The pointy end of the blade easily slips in the soil to pull out a weed. It also works well to root out weeds between pavers or sidewalks.
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Nurture Knowledge
Nothing nurtures a gardener’s mind like learning new things. That knowledge may come from television or streaming gardening programs, plant groups, magazines, podcasts or even conversations over the back fence. Some of these options offer the ideal gift opportunity.
Pay for a streaming service that offers Monty Don’s Gardeners’ World or Gardening with Monty Don, Great Britain’s beloved garden communicator, and other inspiring, popular programs. Memberships in plant groups or subscriptions to gardening magazines would make great stocking stuffers. Or give a certificate that promises to pay admission to a gardening program or garden tour.
Lastly, consider offering to weed someone’s garden. That’s one of the best gifts I can think of receiving, plus you might learn a thing or two from the gardening guru in your life.
About the Author: Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp blogs at hoosiergardener.com, where you’ll find information about her programs, garden coaching and four-season container planting.
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