Mike Hogan
| Special to The Columbus Dispatch
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If you are like me and haven’t yet finished your holiday shopping, remember that there are just four shopping days left until the big day arrives. If there is an avid gardener on your gift list, you may want to consider a gardening-related gift for the holidays. If you are wondering what type of gift that special gardener in your life might want, well, I’ve got a long list for you.
At a recent meeting of OSU Extension Master Gardeners, I asked the group of nearly 200 avid gardeners to make a wish list of garden-related gifts they hoped Santa might bring them this year. What I got was a long list of gadgets, supplies, tools, clothing, plants, books and other items. The list runs the gamut of sensible and mundane supplies to dreams of more productive soil, moderate temperatures and adequate rainfall.
Take a look at this list and see if you might be able to make your favorite gardener smile on Christmas morning this week by finding some of these gifts at area garden centers or online.
Gadgets galore
By far, the largest category of garden gift wishes on gardener’s wish list was equipment and supplies. One of the most cited needs was a good soil knife. If you are unfamiliar with this handheld tool, it is used for digging, weeding, planting, pruning roots, dividing plants and many more soil-related tasks in the garden and home landscape. It’s like a trowel, weeder and pruner, all in one tool. It’s like a Swiss army knife for the gardener!
Better hoses for watering were also on many wish lists, with some gardeners seeking a more lightweight hose that does not kink. A related item sought by several gardeners is an irrigation system for their garden.
Other equipment wishes included lightweight wheelbarrows and garden carts, compost bins, a garden bench, cordless power tools such as trimmers and leaf-blowers and indoor grow lights and seed-starting stations.
Garden health and safety
I was thrilled to see that many gardeners asked for gifts related to health and safety of gardeners. Gardeners cited the need for sun-safe items including sunscreen, sun-safe hats and shirts, gardeners hand cream and a first-aid kit for gardeners. A first-aid kit for gardeners is a great idea and should include things like antibacterial soap, band-aids and even an epi pen for gardeners who are allergic to insect stings.
Garden clothing
Many gardeners are hoping to receive garden clothing and especially garden gloves. While most gardeners have several pairs of garden gloves, one can never have too many sets of gloves! Other clothing items on the wish list include overalls, a canvas garden apron and tool belts. Garden boots for working in wet or muddy weather also made the list.
Plants and seeds
I’ve never met a gardener who didn’t want more plants. In fact, many gardeners need a 12-step program to stop them from buying more plants! Regardless, plants and seeds make great gifts for gardeners. Everything from live plants, seeds, bulbs and tubers can be found at local garden centers for the holiday.
Many gardeners are seeking more native plants for their gardens and home landscape, so consider selecting native plants and seeds when buying for gardeners.
Adaptive tools
Many gardeners need different gardening tools and supplies as they age to make gardening easier on their back and joints. Some adaptive items on the Master Gardeners wish list included knee pads, garden carts with a seat, a folding garden stool, lightweight water hoses and adaptive garden tools which make gardening tasks easier for gardeners with arthritis.
Another popular gift request was raised beds on legs which allow vegetable gardeners to garden without kneeling or bending down to reach in-ground beds.
Garden-related books
Many gardeners love to read about gardening, especially during the winter when gardening activities are limited, and gardening books make great gifts. For some Master Gardener book recommendations, go to: go.osu.edu/mgvbookrecs.
Wildlife and pollinator supplies
Most gardeners understand and value the role of pollinators and wildlife in the ecosystem and are hoping to get gifts such as bird feeders and bird seed, deer fencing for their garden, bird nest boxes, bee hotels and bird baths. Gardeners also want more plants which supply nectar and pollen for their gardens and landscapes.
Weather wishes
Some gardeners took my suggestion to dream big when making their wish list to heart and are hoping that Santa might bring better weather and more productive soils! More than one hopeful gardener requested moderate temperatures, adequate frequent rainfall and no droughts during the growing season. Some gardeners requested very specific Camelot-like weather including winter temperatures not below 32 degrees and never higher than 50 degrees, quick melting snow falls, and scheduled rains three days a week! Other gardeners wished for a more general moderation in climate change.
While Santa won’t likely be able to grant these weather-related wishes, there are some weather-related supplies which make useful gifts for gardeners. A rain gauge makes a great stocking stuffer and a thermometer to measure soil temperature in spring is a must-have for gardeners hoping to get an early start on growing cool season vegetables in spring.
What all gardeners wished for this holiday season is peace on earth and an end to hunger around the globe.
Mike Hogan is Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources and associate professor with Ohio State University Extension.
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