Pulling ourselves out of the garden to attend to such mundane things as Christmas Shopping is like pulling our boot out of a muddy flowerbed. But, relationship with humans is important too so off we go. As I’m shopping for my friends and family, I’m tempted by the things I want! No surprise there, but I thought I would share things that interest me in case they may interest other Gardeners you may know.
No list is complete without at least one book. Here I will list two. One of my Twitter friends has a book about growing winter vegetables. The Winter Harvest Handbook is available on Amazon, or directly from Eliot Coleman’s website. It shows how to grow winter vegetables in unheated greenhouses, economically and environmentally sound.
The other one on my wish list is ‘The Art of Gardening: Design Inspiration and Innovative Planting Techniques from Chanticleer’. Well know public garden Chanticleer is discussed by the gardeners who actually work in the garden. Pictures in the preview look wonderful
One of the perks of being part of the Garden writers of America association is the chance to trial new products. This year I was sent a Cobrahead Weeder. This handy tool is small enough to weed between new seedlings, new plantings, and still goes deep enough to get the root out. Even though I have one I’m still thinking of others that would love it too. www.cobrahead.com
When I get finished with the shopping it is time to get outside again. Working in the wet, cold weather causes hands to go numb! Bulky gloves are warm but difficult to work in. I have a two fold solution. I use my regular garden gloves, Atlas Nitrile Touch , and then put a insulated wool fingerless glove over the top. Then my fingers can work and the body of the gloves keeps my hands warm. This glove from Gander Mountain is perfect. It has thinsulate and wool both, it is reasonably priced and very practical. Any person working in a cool place would love them. Clearly I need a new pair!
Most gardeners have a journal of sorts to organize their thoughts and keep records. Christmas is a perfect time to start one for the coming year. If you have never done it before you will be hooked! Keeping track of when you buy things, where you planted them and how they did will help you decide to buy more, plant them in a different place or move them around. Moleskine has a garden journal with an expandable pocket for saving labels, seed packets or pictures. I usually get a leather covered one with a place to hold a pen. This way if it gets wet (from a hose or rain) it is protected well and the weight of the pages keep the various pens I use from bleeding through. It should be a tough journal with lots of pages. Barnes and Noble bookstore by me has several to choose from.
For the tech savvy gardeners there is PAPER 53. It is a downloadable app that you can draw on. It can be used with many mobile devices and has a ‘pencil’ that makes it super easy. The newest update gives you the option to take a picture of your garden and then draw over the top of it. This is great to sketch out ideas, see what a tree or shrub might look like in the scene. Draw out beds for gardens and make notes of plants you like as you shop in a nursery. I Love mine and use it often.
So there you have it, my 2015 Gardener’s Gift List. Did you see something you’d love? What would you add?
