WITH the holiday season just around the corner it's time once again for my annual gifts for gardeners list.
Finding the right gift for a gardener can be a daunting task year after year but no one needs another thingy that hangs somewhere or another garden ornament that eventually becomes target practice for the kid's soccer ball. If you have a gardening friend, lover or partner, buy them a gift that works and provides some value beyond looking pretty. Here are my suggestions for gifts for gardeners this year.
? A Book worth reading: Good books are worth the price because not everything can be found on Google. Entitled: Plants of Coastal British Columbia, written by Pojar and McKinnon, ISBN-10: 1-55105-530-9. Jim Pojar is forest ecologist who worked for the B.C. Ministry of Forests as a research manger. Andy MacKinnon is a research ecologist with the B.C. Forest Service. These home-grown gentlemen have spent years researching the flora and fauna of B.C. Their book is a must have resource for anyone interested in B.C. native plants. It features 794 species of plants, 1,100 color photographs, range maps plus engaging notes on each species describing aboriginal and other local uses of plants for food, medicine and implements. Cost: $28.95, available from www.lonepinepublishing.com.
? A real gardening tool: Every gardener worth his or her salt has a soil probe in their toolkit. I have one, although I had mine custom constructed to three feet long, two inches wide and painted navy blue. Soil probes are T-shaped tools, varying in length and made from chrome steel. You push them into the ground to pull out successive soil cores to take soil samples, check soil and rooting depth, determine watering depth penetration and more. These are must have tools for the professional gardener. The probe I am suggesting is 20 inches long, pulls a three quarter inch by six in inch deep soil core and is made from chromed steel pipe. Cost: $47.80, available from www.rittenhouse.ca but it could probably be found elsewhere locally or made custom if you know a welder.
? Something unusual: Not every gift is traditional and for some people quirky is right up their alley. For the gardener who loves moss, buy them the Moss Milkshake. Just add a few cups of water to a bucket, stir in the contents of this carton, and let stand for ten minutes. Then find a shady area and spread the gel-like paste over any vertical or horizontal surface - bare soil, stone, wood or weathered concrete. Each small moss fragment will grow into a new moss plant and grow together over time to form a dense green blanket. The Moss Milkshake has an indefinite shelf life and covers up to 20 square feet. Cost: $24.95, available from our local Vancouver area seed company www.westcoastseeds.com.
? It's been a hard day in the garden: Gardeners are hard working people and at the end of a long day working outside, their bodies are tired and sore. What could be better than a one-hour professional massage? Find your favourite spa or massage therapist and buy a relaxing massage gift for the gardener in your life. If possible add a pedicure and manicure, because we all know gardeners could use those services more than anyone. Cost: varies by establishment.
? That stupid nozzle broke: Recently I purchased a plastic watering nozzle; stupid mistake because it broke on the second use. I bought another one made of plastic and metal; it broke as well, cheap crap. Doesn't anyone build things to last anymore? If you're going to give the gift of a watering nozzle for the gardener in your life, please do them a favour and don't look at anything made from plastic, it is guaranteed to break. Only buy brass watering nozzles and aluminum watering wands. All plastic watering wands and nozzles are cheap garbage made exclusively for amateurs. Cost: more than plastic but worth it, available from a store that only sells quality gardening tools which eliminates most of the stores you were thinking of.
? It's raining again, I need a hat: A good hat is a must have for all-season gardeners. Everyone has a preference on a hat style but if I had to buy one as a gift I would give something rugged, durable and rainproof, meaning oilskin or nothing. Some suggestions include: TWC4 Outback Hat for $79.00 from www. tilleyendurables.ca. The KNP Oilskin Field Hat for $22.00 from Mountain Equipment Co-op at www.mec.ca. Or the Aussie cowboy hat for $49 from www.australianoutback. com.
Ultimately, the gift of time spent together is probably the most valuable gift anyone can give or receive because the most precious things in life are often realized as moments shared. Cost and value: priceless. Available from your heart.
Todd Major is a journeyman horticulturist and chief horticulture instructor at the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden. For advice contact him at [email protected].
