Garden Gifts

A little imagination and some practical ideas can really bring a gardener’s holiday season alive.

What to give the desert gardener? Here's a list of things that will not only warm the gardener's heart, but bring her or him years of enjoyment and memories.

Over 20 years ago, a family member gave me a sturdy willow basket with a handle. Inside it was a set of Felco pruning shears (left-handed, no less, to fit my sinister inclinations); a set of gardening tools with wooden handles; some packets of flower seeds, and a collection of bulbs.

I still have (and use) that basket. It sits beside my potting bench and still holds those 20-some-year-old Felco shears, plus many of the original tools. I take the basket into the garden with me. The leather sheath for the pruning shears has taken on the patina of years, as has the basket and the wooden tool handles.

To me, it was one of the most thoughtful and useful gifts I have ever received, one which I use every day, and one which carries with it fond memories.

No matter what your budget is, you can find great holiday gifts for the gardener friend, relative or significant other (or even for yourself).

Here are some other great gift ideas:

• Gloves. There are many different types of gardening gloves on the market. I prefer fairly supple leather gloves, which can be purchased at anywhere from $10 to $50. The ones I am currently using cost about $20, and were a gift from one of my children.
• Hand pruning shears. I prefer Felco because they are reliable, long-lasting, easy to keep clean and sharp, and easy to handle. Felco's cost in the $50 to $75 range, but they are an excellent gift and will last many years. They also make right-handed and left-handed models, so make sure to find out if the user is dexterous or sinister. There are many types of pruning shears available for much less than you would pay for a top of the line model, so, if your budget is limited, check around.
• Hand tools. These are small tools (usually around eight to 10 inches long) used for "tight" work around and in beds and plants. A small hand rake, a trowel, a hoe or other type of weeder (I have a triangular-headed weeder that keeps a sharp edge and is great for getting into tight places to remove weeds) would make great gifts. These are often sold in sets, and are relatively inexpensive.
• Pocket knife. I received a very nice Kershaw pocket knife one holiday season. It's stainless steel and has only one blade (people know I get confused when confronted with too much information or too many choices), which I keep very sharp. I use it for everything from slicing open bags of mulch to cutting rhizomes for planting. I've used it to slice leaves and buds from stems when I'm rooting soft woody cuttings. I use it to cut bailing twine and string as well.
• Hats and caps. Most self-respecting gardeners have a favorite hat. Mine is straw, which I purchased at a sporting goods store for $3.98. It has a chin strap which is great for working in high winds. I'm pretty hard on hats, for some reason. I also lose them often. So I opt to purchase my own inexpensive hats. However, there are some nice hats available, from straw to cotton to felt, inexpensive, expensive and in-between. If winters are cold in your area, you may want to gift a warmer hat or cap with ear flaps. I prefer watch caps during the winter, mainly because they keep my ears very warm, and I can roll it up above my ears if it gets warmer without looking like Elmer Fudd. But, as my Acadian forefathers would have said, chaque un a son gout, which means, basically, each to his own preference.
• Pots. No, not cooking pots (although, being a cook as well, I personally do like cooking utensils as gifts). I'm talking about planting pots. There are some beautiful glazed terra cotta, unglazed terra cotta and ceramic pots available, some at unbelievable low prices. I picked up some beautiful and large pots from Mexico during the last few hours of a home and garden show for about half what I would have paid for them had I purchased them in Mexico, and about a fourth of what I would have purchased them at a high-end pottery shop. Planting pots come in many different shapes, sizes and colors. To make it more attractive, put some garden hand tools and a collection of seeds or bulbs in the pot.
• Baskets. I mentioned above the really nice basket I received (it was actually from my mother-in-law). Baskets can be useful in many ways. A flat basket is great for placing cut flowers in while you're cutting. They're also useful to put weeds and debris in for carting to the compost pile, keeping tools in, picking vegetables, and carrying transplants. Gardeners can think of many ways to use good baskets. I've got several hanging over my potting bench.
• Books. Where do I start? I love books, especially gardening books. And, since I love desert gardening, I love books on desert gardening. I have amassed a collection of them. Most are available from major bookstores or by mail order. I've compiled some suggested titles that are relevant to desert gardening. They are not in any specific order:
• A Desert Gardener's Companion, by Kim Nelson, Rio Nuevo Publishers, Tucson, Arizona.
• Wild Plants of the Pueblo Province, by William W. Dunmire and Gail D. Tierney, Museum of New Mexico Press, Santa Fe, NM.
• Flowers of the Southwest Deserts, by Natt N. Dodge, Southwest Parks and Monuments Association, Tucson, AZ.
• Shrubs and Trees of the Southwest Uplands, by Francis H. Elmore, Southwest Parks and Monuments Association, Tucson, AZ.
• New Mexico Gardener's Guide, by Judith Phillips, Cool Springs Press.
• Native Plants for High-Elevation Western Gardens, by Janice Busco and Nancy R. Morin, published in partnership with The Arboretum at Flagstaff, AZ
• Arizona Gardener's Guide, by Mary Irish, Cool Springs Press.
• Pests of the West, by Whitney Cranshaw, Fulcrum Publishing, Golden, CO.
• The Low-Water Flower Gardener, by Eric A. Johnson and Scott Millard, Millard Publishing.
• Southwestern Landscaping with Native Plants, by Judith Phillips, Museum of New Mexico Press, Santa Fe, NM.
• Low Water-Use Plants for California and the Southwest, by Carol Shuler, Fisher Books, Tucson, AZ.
• Xeriscape Handbook, by Gayle Weinstein, Fulcrum Publishing, Golden, CO.
Dry-Land Gardening, by Jennifer Bennett, Firefly Books, Ltd., Willowdale, Ontario.
• Xeriscape Plant Guide, 100 Water-Wise Plants, By Denver Water, Fulcrum Publishing, Golden, CO.
• Waterwise Garden Care, by High Country Gardens, High Country Gardens Publications, Santa Fe, NM.
• Weeds of the West, The Western Society of Weed Science in cooperation with the Western United States Land Grant Universities Cooperative Extension Services, University of Wyoming Press.

There are several other items a desert gardener needs, and probably wants. If she/he does not have them already, think about these items:

• Garden fork. It resembles a pitchfork, but the tines are much thicker and blunter.
• Wheelbarrow or garden cart. I have several, but the one I use most is a small, plastic one with four wheels. I find it easy to maneuver, I don't have to worry about balancing it on one tire, I can drag it behind me, it carries a lot of stuff, and I can move it into small places. There are wooden and metal garden carts, and many gardeners use a child's red wagon in place of, or in addition to, a wheelbarrow.
• Sharpshooter shovel. Also known as a "poacher's" shovel. A shovel with a short handle and a long, narrow head. This is a great tool for digging out plants for transplanting, digging holes in hard caliche clay, and for a variety of other chores.

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