Gifts for gardeners

You remember gardeners, right? They are the people who play in the dirt. You know, like I did before the house project sucked me up? Well, let me tell you, I intend to make up for my decreased amount of gardening this year 10-fold in 2011. I can’t wait to spend part of the winter planning some new landscaping.

But in the meantime, why don’t we dream about the holidays a little and come up with a few gift ideas for gardeners. Some are practical, some are just pretty and a couple are a bit outlandish, but hey, you never know what someone’s budget is, right?

1. This hori hori knife is my go-to gift for gardeners. I’ve yet to give it to someone who didn’t absolutely love it, even if when they first opened it they looked at me like I was nuts. I didn’t know about hori horis until I read about them on North Coast Gardening and now I wonder how I lived with out it.
2. This reproduction Frank Lloyd Wright Allen House vase is so lovely. If I had two short stone columns at the entrance to my house I’d want a pair of these to flank it with and I’d fill them for every season.
3. Compost bin brackets aren’t the most romantic gift in the world, but I think most gardeners would really appreciate them.  I’ve been loving the new bin I built using them (and it was so easy since I had the folks at Home Depot cut the boards for me).
4. I think every gardener likes some objets d’art for their space, and I really like these highly textured zinc leaf spheres. They’re classy and interesting and well, not bowling ball-like.
5. The Bahco pruners are another can’t-live-without item in my gardening arsenal. And another thing I found out about at North Coast Gardening. These are particularly great for women, as they come in different sizes. I never realized that the pruners I was using were too big for my hand and therefore causing a lot of hand fatigue until I got a pair of Bahcos. They felt small in my hand at first, but I could prune all day with these.
6. One of these stainless steel buckets would be a perfect accessory gift to the compost brackets. There are a lot of countertop compost buckets out there, but I like these because they are simple, classic and have a lid.
7. The best stocking stuffer on the planet, at least if you’re a gardener, is a pair (or more) of Atlas nitrile gloves. Unless you’re into pruning roses or something else equally thorny, these inexpensive gloves are perfect for gardening. Because they are priced right, you can have several pairs (as I do) so there is always a pair around that is dry and standing by. I also wash mine in the washing machine (lay them out to dry) and they are as good as new.
8 and 9. This is sort of a dream gift, but wouldn’t it be nice to hire a professional garden designer to decorate your favorite person’s home for the holidays? These designs are by the talented Deborah Silver (who is in Detroit), and I’d love nothing more to come home to a house decorated as beautifully as these. 

So what’s on your list for Santa this year?