Gifts for the Gardener

Even if there are only a few days left until Christmas, there's still time to get your gardening friends some great gifts without ever having to set foot inside a mall or department store.

You can find most things at your local independent nursery or hardware store or even the local botanic garden; take the opportunity to spend some time around greenery and color during this stressful time of year.

• A gardener can always use more tools, especially clippers and pruners, weeders, and specialized tools they might not buy themselves like one-handed flower snips, ratcheting pruners, long-handled garden tools or a garden cart for those with some limitations.


• Consider things that wear out or run out like garden gloves, watering wands and hoses, garden hats, gardening clogs or boots, plant labels/signs, and knee pads.


• Consider something unique and practical such as a soil test kit, a sun calculator, or a moisture meter.


• To help them plan for next year's garden, give them a subscription to a gardening magazine, or a gardening journal or log to keep track of plantings and seedlings.


• While using a simple wicker basket is always appreciated, remember that gardeners are always looking for great containers, pots and other items. Some container ideas include a self-watering planter, a garden tool bag, recycled garden tub, or even a wheelbarrow full of organic potting soil, fertilizer, tools, and other items.


• For those times when they are out of their garden, give them gifts that allow them to visit or read about other gardens for both inspiration and renewal. Give them a basket with books on the world's great gardens such as 1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die, or The Garden Conservancy's Open Days Directory, listing over 300 public and private gardens that are open for tours each year.


• A really great gift for the local gardener is a membership at the local botanic garden or arboretum. Many have great gift shops where you can find gardening gifts, toys, books, and plants, with the proceeds going directly to the garden.


• If you are not a gardener yourself, or are wondering what to get your friends in the garden club, you can give a holiday garden basket filled with gardening tools, gloves, seeds, bulbs/plants, and how-to gardening books.


• A thoughtful gift for after a hard day in the garden is to create a basket filled with soothing products such as gardener's hand lotion, soap, bubble bath, and candles.


• And, if you aren't sure what to get, you can never go wrong with a gift certificate to their favorite nursery!

Judi Gerber is a University of California Master Gardener with a certificate in Horticultural Therapy. She writes about sustainable farming, local foods, and organic gardening for multiple magazines. Her book Farming in Torrance and the South Bay was released in September 2008.