Christmas Gifts for Gardeners

I've always struggled with shopping for gifts. I just don't spend that much time shopping in general--for me or anyone else--so I don't know what's out there. Plus, if you're shopping for that favorite family member with entirely different interests from you, it's hard to predict what they'll love and what they'll hate. So, if you have a friend or family member who loves gardening, I'm here to help! That's the one thing I do know how to shop for. In no particular order, here are some Christmas gifts to please a range of gardeners in your life:

1. Amaryllis. This bulb makes a great gift for your favorite hostess or grandmother. You can buy them in a variety of lovely containers and in colors ranging from white to red. They're easy to grow indoors, and if you get one that's barely sprouting at Christmas, it will be in full bloom in January when gardeners like me get depressed at the lack of greenery. If they live in the South, the bulbs may be planted in the garden after they've finished blooming indoors. Jackson and Perkins is a great resource for amaryllis gift sets. You can also check your local florist or garden center for these.

Single Stardust Amaryllis from jacksonandperkins.com

2. Gift card for seeds. For your favorite vegetable gardener, get them a gift card to a seed company like Seeds for Change or Burpee. They'll have great fun pouring over the seed catalog trying to decide how to spend their gift card in preparation for spring. Seed companies carry so many varieties that you won't see at Home Depot or Lowe's. ("Do I want red peppers or purple peppers?") Your friend or family member will be thinking about your thoughtful gift when the seeds sprout in the spring and when they're harvesting the produce in the summer.

3. The finest watering can money can buy. My mother had a beautiful blue watering can that started rusting and peeling with time. After some research, I replaced it with a Haws watering can. Haws has put a lot of thought and care into creating watering cans that do the best possible job of getting water to your plants without disturbing the soil or foliage. They offer several styles based on your needs and a range of colors based on your tastes. There are several companies that sell Haws watering cans, so feel free to shop around for the best deal.

Haws watering can from williams-sonoma.com

4. Tools. If you use your garden tools with any frequency, they usually need to be replaced after a few years. Metal tools get dull and rusty from use, and plastic tools get brittle and snap from being in the outdoors. Chances are, your gardener friend could use some replacements for their most frequently used tools. You can pick up cheap plastic trowels and cultivators at the hardware store that make great stocking stuffers, or splurge on fancy wood-and-metal tools with a "lifetime guarantee". If you want to get them a pair of hand pruners that will be their best friend, you can get them a Felco 2. Or, you can get them a useful tool that they might not already have, like a pair of snips for cutting flowers and vegetables or a dibble for planting bulbs.

Garden tools, from left to right: hand cultivator, hand
trowel, hand pruners, snips, transplanting trowel.
Image from from doityourself.com.

5. Plant markers. Earlier this year I had a mix-up where I planted onions on top of spinach because I forgot where I planted my spinach! Even if you're not working with seeds, plant markers are a fun way to label your herb plants or keep track of the names of your roses. Plant markers range from the boring to the artistic. For the serious gardener, I'd suggest metal plant markers that you can write the names on and will last forever. Make sure you get ones that are rust-proof, or they won't last for more than a few months. If you're looking for something more whimsical, you might check out these colorful herb markers I saw on Etsy.

Plant markers by fromArtisanHands on Etsy.com

Have a lovely Christmas season!

Winter Cheer

My experience so far in Middle Georgia has been that, even among the people that like to garden, most only garden in the summer time. The most popular garden plants are crapemyrtles, azaleas, petunias, and geraniums--all plants that bloom while it's warm outside. Being from South Florida, I don't care much for the cold, but I love the outdoors and can't imagine not spending at least a little time in my garden every week, if only to see what's in bloom. I make sure to plan my garden accordingly, so there's always some beauty to enjoy in my garden.

I used to love pansies until I moved to Georgia. You can't really grow pansies in South Florida, but here, they are all you see in commercial plantings from November to April. To make matters worse, people often use these pansy color mixes that combine bright colors at random like a bad '80s outfit. When I ran across some pansies in a lovely shade of red, though, the color was so pretty and so unusual, that I took home a six-pack to brighten up my beds. Maybe I'll have to re-evaluate my view of pansies.

I really love how violas spill out of a pot, so this year I filled up two small pots for my patio. I remembered planting bulbs among the pansies while working at Callaway Gardens, so I decided to try giving my violas an extra punch by planting some tulip bulbs first (tulips like to be planted at a depth that's three times the size of the bulb) and adding the violas on top. Tulips really prefer colder climates, but there are a couple of species that tolerate Macon's mild climate better than others. Of course, those were not the kinds of tulip bulbs they actually sold at Lowe's or Home Depot around here (I'll have to remember to order bulbs next fall), but at least the bulbs were half off when I bought them. Even if they don't emerge beautifully in the spring, at least I only spent a couple of dollars on my experiment.

I planted the tulip bulbs (left) under the violas (right).
Here's hoping they emerge as pretty as the picture!

I couldn't imagine our first Christmas in our house without a few lights outside and a wreath on the door. I thought I might be creative and make my own wreath this year, but in the end I decided to save time when I saw a lovely fresh wreath at Home Depot. With a mind on the budget, we kept our outdoor Christmas decorations simple, but I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Merry Christmas!