[GPI]

Gifts for gardeners.

This article is less aimed at the gardener of the house and more towards their parents, spouse, children and friends. Through a little bit of craftiness, I hope to give you gardeners the best possible chance of finding a desirable horticultural gift in your Christmas day stockings.

Coming up you will find a “copy and print out” list of great gardening related gifts. I suggest you leave this lying around on your kitchen table or stuck to your fridge door, complete with a heavy red marker circle around the gift you fancy the most. If you don’t ask you won’t receive, and I believe this little bit of subtle hinting may save you from yet another brightly coloured Christmas jumper from auntie, or pair of socks from mum.

. Gardening supplies on santas list, photo / pic / image.

Tools.
A new tool to make the gardeners life easier is always appreciated. It can be a fresh addition to the tool shed or possibly a replacement to an old model. For instance a new collapsible rake to replace an old one which has become short in the tooth, the exact opposite to us humans who become long in the tooth with age.

Other tool suggestions include spades, shovels, digging forks, hand weeders, stout gloves with long cuffs, knee pads etc. You should also check if your gardener has good quality by-pass pruners or secateurs, if the one they have are blunt, rusty or damaged, then make them a present of a new one. A sharp clippers ensures clean cuts, which benefits plant health.

Bird related.
Birds and gardeners usually go well together as long as the birds are not stealing newly planted seed. Suitable gifts for the bird-loving gardener would be a bird house, bath or feeder, these will hopefully encourage more birds into the garden where they can be admired. A very adaptable bird related gift is a pair of binoculars for up close bird scrutinising or occasional neighbourhood watching if you feel the need.

Gifts on paper.
Gardening books with numerous pictures are always welcome as instructional guides or as an encouragement to try out elaborate and contemporary designs within our own plot. Whereas magazine subscriptions to titles dealing with gardening, nature and green issues are brilliant for keeping gardeners bang up to date on their interests.

Of course, plants are some of the best gifts you can offer the gardener in your life. But let me suggest that you instead offer your gardener a gift voucher to their favourite garden centre or nursery, in this way you will not end up giving them a Magnolia when all they had space for was a lavender.

On a budget.
A gift which doesn’t cost anything is a homemade coupon offering a days labour, this could be cashed in by your households gardener during a labour intensive period such as planting out, pruning or harvest times. Finally, another low cost prezzie and one of the best gifts of all is encouragement and praise, letting your gardener know that you appreciate their all their efforts during the past year. Everybody grows when they receive hearty praise, gardeners especially.

So that’s it, a rough guide to gifts for the gardener in your life, now all you have to do is match the perfect gift to the perfect gardener.

Any comments, please post below.
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Remember, a weed is just a plant in the wrong place.

Garden Consultation & Design in Ireland!

[inishindie]

Hi

I got an e-mail from Seedsavers the other day. They are doing packs

The Gift Pack includes-
Membership (5 Free heritage seeds, discounts on over 60 workshops/courses 2008, discounts on native apple trees, two free newsletters a year,
Native Irish apple catalogue
Siol Music CD (incl Kila, Martin Hayes)
Apple Myth and Legend Book & Gift Folder
P&P for only €55.

http://www.irishseedsavers.ie/

cheers

Ian
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www.gardening.ie

[Tom]

[foamcutter]