Have a gardener friend who is hard to buy for? Looking for a
last-minute holiday gift that you won’t find at the local big-box
store? Consider a few standouts
– at least in my mind.
Have a gardener friend who is hard to buy for? Looking for a last-minute holiday gift that you won’t find at the local big-box store? Consider a few standouts – at least in my mind.
For instance, I have a few specimens in my garden that visitors seem to always ask about. Yet, I have a hard time remembering some of their names. I’ve tagged them with plastic labels, tried metal labels and used permanent marker. Guess what? Permanent markers are not permanent – at least when it comes to dealing with the elements.
I ran into a gentleman at the Oklahoma trade show for the Gardeners Association of America who makes plant labels. Not just any plant labels, mind you. These are the type you’ll find gracing specimens at botanical gardens and arboretums. They’re custom-imaged and made of solid metal. They aren’t cheap – $13 for the first label and $9 for each thereafter. Sturdy stakes are an additional $1.50 each. Check them out at www.larklabel.com or call (316) 682-5275.
I’ve also ordered my own personalized collection of directional markers. This will surely be a great conversation piece for my garden. They come ready to hang with five different wooden directional signs. You customize them with everything from “Grandma Grace’s” to “Kaanapali Beach.” You even get to pick from eight colors. The company figures out the mileage for the signs based on where the string of markers will be hung. The basic Journey Marker is about four feet long and weighs about seven pounds. You can add additional signs for $15 each. Customize your own markers at www.journeymarkers.com or call (800) 266-8046.
Many gardeners have solar lights that stand on individual stakes in their garden. They look nice and help your garden standout at night even though they don’t throw off very much light. There’s a company in Bellingham, Wash., that sells nylon Soji solar lanterns that look like those fancy Japanese lanterns. Each is about 10 inches in diameter and will glow for six to eight hours after dark, thanks to built-in LED lights inside. They look great on their own or hung in a cluster. They have an internal frame that allows them to be used as tabletop lamps as well. They come in blue, red, orange or green with white lights, or white with amber lights. Cost is $17 apiece. Allsop Home & Garden is the manufacturer, although you’ll also find them on various Web sites. Look for them at www.allsopgarden.com or call (866) 4-ALLSOP.
Finally, there’s nothing like lightweight gloves for the garden that are inexpensive, but sturdy, and let’s you feel what you’re doing. Atlas nitrile touch gloves at $5 to $8 a pair are the answer. These gloves are lightweight nylon knit that are coated with nitrile that are meant to fit like a second skin. They are available in four colors and four sizes, and can be found on various Web sites. The manufacturer is Atlas and you can find the gloves at www.lfsinc.com/atlasgloves/garden or call (800) 426-8860.
