Winter HolidaysTop 15 Gifts for Gardenersby Marie Iannotti Shopping for gifts for gardeners is easy. Garden tools alone could keep you in gift ideas for years. Then there's garden totes, gardening boots, garden books... Gardening books are always a treasure as well as absolutely necessary resources. Here's a list of some of the best I've used and enjoyed. Garden totes have become de facto tools. The question is whether to have a garden tote, but which style. And there are many to choose from. Important features are size (you want to be able to lift it, let alone carry it), sturdy construction and ease of organizing what's in the tote. A high quality pair of pruners are a gardener's best tool. There's probably no other tool that will get more use. And a clean cut is important to the plants' health. Look for one with replaceable parts, especially blades, and it will last that much longer. A great way to beat the winter doldrums is by growing herbs on your windowsill. Nothing hints of summer like the scent of fresh herbs. This kit comes with 3 herb plant seedlings, a decorative tray and glass pots. The variety of herb plans varies with the seasons, but the really nice thing is that they are plants, not seeds. Guaranteed success! It's pretty enough to eat. I still love these gloves. I tried my first pair about 5 years ago. It took me two years to poke through a finger and I used them pretty much every day. They're flexible enough to do delicate work, yet still protect your hands. If only they were water-proof.
For the cooler months and when I need something more heavy duty, I'd recommend West Country Gardener's Waterproof Gloves are rugged and warm. They're wonderful for fall garden clean-up and early spring chores. Nothing could be easier to grow than mushrooms, yet how many of us do it? The kit looks like a little gift box. Each box is inoculated with mushroom spores and should yield about 4 lovely pounds of mushrooms. They're fast grower too. The recipient should be harvesting in about 1 month - just when winter starts to drag on and a gardener could use a little boost. There are also kits for shiitake and button mushrooms. OXO has been making soft gri tools for the kitchen for years. These outdoor garden tools have a comfortable soft 'Gel-e' handle that absorbs pressure when digging. The business end is constructed of high-quality stainless steel. If you thought your OXO vegetable peeler was a delight, try their trowels, cultivators, weeders and forks. Bringing the garden inside isn't supposed to mean tracking in mud. Clogs and boots slip on and off easily and can be hosed off as often as necessary. Clogs are great for everyday gardening. Boots, like Wellingtons, are especially welcome during the sprig mud season. Every gardener starts off with good intentions of keeping notes in a journal, but they soon fall by the wayside. Having the bones of your journal set up for you in advance, makes the task seem less daunting. This journal spans 3 years of notes and planning. It has pockets for labels or photos and sections for wish lists, sketches, checklists and other essentials. Half the battle of labeling plants is being able to read what you wrote, 6 months from now. Either you squeeze the name in so small, you can't make it out, or it's faded from both the label and your memory. This Brother labeler is small enough and light enough to carry with you into the garden. And it uses a laminated tape that won't fade or peel even in garden conditions. | 
| 