Gift Ideas for Gardeners

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By National Gardening Association Editors

Usually at least one family member has a knack for picking just the right gifts at holiday time. Most of the rest can use some help, though, especially when it comes to buying a gift for someone with a special interest like gardening. Here are some gift ideas for your gardening friends -- or to add to your own wish list!

• Most gardener struggle with a flopped-over peonies or leaning lilies, so fancy plant stakes are always welcome.
• Flower pots of varying sizes, either matching or complementary, mean your gardening friend will have the right pot on hand when it's time to plant. Lightweight faux terra cotta pots are pricey but very welcome since they're both attractive and easy to handle.
• How about garden gloves that really fit? Women, especially, have trouble finding work gloves for small hands. Several different gloves, suited to different purposes, are welcome -- for example, leather gloves for moving rocks, lightweight goatskin gloves for general chores, and rubberized cotton gloves for working in wet conditions.
• Rubber boots, work boots, and clogs are as indispensible as gloves. Be sure your friend can swap sizes and styles, if necessary.
• Multi-purpose tools are especially appreciated. For example, adjustable-width rakes are handy for both large-scale raking and cleaning out between perennials. Also, scoop-shaped trowels that can be used for digging and moving soil are handy.
• High quality tools -- a sturdy trowel with a padded grip or top-of-the-line pruners or loppers, for example -- are worth their price, and serious gardeners will be most grateful.
• Books are always welcome, although it can be difficult to choose an appropriate selection unless you know your gardener's style. Coffee-table books are usually appreciated, as are new books on popular subjects, such as those on creative container gardening or water gardens.
• Decorative items, such as birdbaths, wind chimes, gazing balls, and sundials are generally welcome. Plastic flamingoes and other whimsical art might be welcomed by some gardeners, and hidden in the garage by others. If you don't know your friend's tastes, a gift certificate might be best.
• Birdhouses, bat houses, native bee nests, and toad shelters will receive a warm welcome by gardeners with a naturalist's bent.
• By nature, gardeners tend to be weather watchers, and for those interested in gauging atmospheric changes, a high-tech weather station, which might include a thermometer plus barometric pressure and wind speed gauges, makes an ideal gift. Max-min thermometers, which record the highest and lowest temperatures of the day, are fun and practical.
• Perhaps the most appreciated gift of all is the gift of time. Include a coupon for a few hours of planting, weeding, mowing, or mulching. Then make sure your gardening friend redeems the coupon!