Christmas Gift Ideas For Gardeners
Christmas is a great time to give the gift of gardening. Traditional gift plants including poinsettias, red and white azaleas, and amaryllis are great, but it's so easy to personalize a gardening gift and make it something special. Be creative. Think about what you love about gardening – cherished plants, inspiring books or delicious harvests – and turn them into gift ideas. Garden catalogs will help inspire you.
Here are some Christmas gift ideas for gardeners:
Give a garden. Plan out a small vegetable or flower garden on paper and then give the seeds to grow that garden. The garden could have a theme like Italian cooking. The seeds would fit the theme –basil, parsley, bell peppers, oregano, tomatoes, etc. You could do the same with flowers, using fragrant varieties or certain species that are good for cutting. Be creative with the packaging. Include your drawing, a harvest basket and some clippers.
Give a great pot. There are many beautiful pots that make wonderful gifts, but take the idea a step further and also give the plants and soil to put in the pot. For inspiration, cut out a picture of a stunning container filled with flowers from your favorite gardening magazine, then provide all the plants or seeds to make the pot. If you live in a mild winter area, you could give the pot already planted using Bayer Advanced™ . In cold winter areas, order plants through a mail order catalog so they'll be delivered during planting season. Include the picture in the Christmas card so the lucky gardener will know what their pot will look like.
Give a special tree. A bare-root tree is a gift that lasts a lifetime. Consider some of the rarer but exceedingly beautiful American natives offered by mail order catalogs. One possibility is the silver bell (Halesia carolina) with lovely white, bell-shaped flowers in spring. Another choice is the Franklinia alatamaha with fragrant white, camellia-like blooms in late summer.
Give knowledge. Gardening books, of course, make wonderful Christmas gifts. But gardening is such a localized affair and regional information is so much more valuable. Go to the Master Gardeners' Tool Shed. Click on Master Gardener Programs and State Cooperative Extension Services and follow the links to the appropriate state's Cooperative Extension Service. There you’ll find a wealth of publications, most of which can be printed from your computer. Make a booklet of specific information customized for your favorite gardener.
Give a favorite rose. Bare-root roses make ideal gifts. But once again, if you can be a little creative with the varieties you choose, the gift will mean much more. Roses come in so many varieties, with some many clever or meaningful names, it's easy to personalize your gift. For example, give your favorite veteran the wonderful red rose 'Veteran's Honor.' Or, give a music lover the lavender rose ‘Barbra Streisand.’ Check a mail order rose catalog for all of the possibilities. Include pruners, thorn proof gloves, and a package of Bayer Advanced™ 2-in-1 Systemic Rose & Flower Care Granules to make sure your gift gets off to the best possible start. One application at planting time feeds and protects from insects for 6 weeks. Read the label and follow the directions.
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