There are shopping list and gift lists circulating during the Holiday season. Gardeners may not know what might make their life easier. So here are a few suggestions tried & tested by Linda Larson, A Traveling Gardener, wandering, wondering, noticing. . .
Gifts for people who have trees
I love the Barnell Tiger Tooth folding saw, it has a great handle and sharp teeth that allows a not very tall gardener to prune a branch with ease. http://www.barnel.com/triedgesaws.php $60.
I have four citrus trees in my Arizona garden and the Extension fruit picker and trimmer from Wildflower Seed & Tool Company, CA, for $115. is worth every penny. It extends from 6 to 10 feet in length (a six foot person can reach 18 feet in the air.) It has an adjustable head that allows you to angle the cutter to latch onto the fruit stem. Its CUT and HOLD feature holds stem with the fruit until you release safely into your basket. I also use it to trim vines and small branches. Wildflower Seed & Tool Company, CA http://www.wildflower-seed.com
Gifts for people who garden on hard ground
Sometimes it is easier to plant in containers, I find Smart Pots, or Grow bags, both fabric aeration pots, which come in various sizes, extremely convenient. The roots self prune when they grow to the edge of the bag. The pots are inexpensive, a 5 gal, is just $5.99 and I slip them inside my decorative ceramic pots.
Some times you need a super shovel, one with a serrated edge to break through compacted ground. Structron super shovel with a fiberglass handle can do the job. $49.
Gardener’s Supply Company https://www.gardeners.com/home
Gifts for people who sometimes ignore their plants
Succulents might be the answer. For inspiration pick up Debra Lee Baldwin’s new book Designing with Succulents, or Succulent Container Gardens both are filled with ideas and information to help you explore the world of weird, oddly shaped plants that demand little from you.
If you already are into Succulents or have a fellow garden friend who is they might appreciate a succulent grooming kit, Debra had most of these items on her list but I’ve added a few of my own. Gather these up, put them in a small basket or bucket with a bow and it will make a great gift.
Succulent Grooming Kit
- Soft toothbrush & small paint brush for cleaning fuzzy leaves, and branching intersections
- Steak knife for slicing through fibrous tissues, removing unwanted pups
- Chopstick for judging moisture level, making a hole, or nudging gravel into place
- Small spoon for adding topdressing
- Long-handled tweezers for removing debris
- Kitchen tongs work to grasp small cacti for transplanting
- Kitchen shears for trimming hard to reach branches, dry leaves
- Straw, to blow off light debris
Gifts for people who like to look at pretty plants
If you like plants then give yourself or someone you know a membership to your nearest public garden. There is truly no better deal than a membership. For example my home garden, the Desert Botanical Garden Membership at the SENITA CLUB is ONE YEAR $109, the admission fee for an adult on a single bases is $24,95. Your Senita Club Membership includes admission for two adults and your children or grandchildren under 18 years of age and Two free, one-time guest passes Membership in a garden. If you and your partner visit the garden two times during the year, the membership is covered. Plus you have the benefit of American Horticultural Society reciprocal membership for 300 gardens throughout North America. This is the best travel and adventure bargain you will find.
If you want to enjoy beautiful gardens armchair style then a subscription to Garden Design magazine will give you hours of pleasure. You get 4 ad free issues for $45 per year
For travel dreaming, pick up (it weighs nearly 5 lbs.) 1001 Gardens You Must See before you die. Edited by Scholtz & Jones this book gives you a view of the world from gardens.
Gifts for people who don’t like to bend over
The same company that makes the long cut and hold Extension pruner, has a short version as well. I love the 2′ version to reach for the spent blooms at the back of the garden bed. The hold and cut feature helps me easily collect the wilted flowers, or stems as I clean up the beds. $60 Wildflower Seed & Tool Company, CA http://www.wildflower-seed.com
I use that trimmer with my Roo Garden Apron – A Garden, Kitchen and Harvest Smock with Bib, Storage Pockets and Canvas Collection Pouch,1 Size Fits all – Cotton Canvas, Machine Washable $50. Amazon. The canvas collection pouch allows you to put the debris in at the top and then when you are finished you can easily release the mess from the bottom of the pouch.
I’m not paid for these recommendations but I find all these items great for gardening. Hope you find something to add to your list. Happy Holidays.