i know you don’t want to hear this, but there are only a week of shopping until christmas. as you comb your
mind, trying to be creative and thoughtful on the giving side of the ledger, i’m here to help. people who love to
garden should be among the easiest people to buy for. so while you contemplate what you are going to get for the
gardeners on your list, i offer these suggestions
advertisement
there isn’t a gardener alive who can remember the name of every plant they put in the ground from one year to the next. these aluminum plant markers are perfect, and they are the only ones that i use, because they are rigid, indestructible and hold the ink of a permanent nursery pen or sharpie for at least one season. i have about 300 of
them on the go in my garden at any one time. price: five for $10 at garden centres and home hardware. for an extra $3 or $4, you can throw in the marker, too.
advertisement
a quality pair of hand pruners will feel good in the hand, will hold an edge for a long time and will not twist as you
tackle the tough job of pruning a thick branch or limb. in the mark’s choice line, i have a new hand pruner that features a titanium blade—it’s strong and very tough. a thick limb is best attacked using a pruning saw with extremely sharp teeth that cut on the forestroke and backstroke.
advertisement
offer to donate several hours of weeding at a mutually convenient time. every gardener alive gets weary of
pulling or hoeing out weeds, especially after the initial thrill of it concludes sometime mid-june, around father’s day.
many gardeners enjoy taking pictures of their own garden. some do not. in either case, i can guarantee that you
will see their garden through a different lens than they do.
advertisement
this story previously appeared in harrowsmith magazine . published by moongate publishing inc., harrowsmith provides a purely canadian take on country living, the environment, and the sharing of useful information for country dwellers and city folk.