Gifts For The Gardener

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By Gretchen Van Benthuysen
December is the best time of year to give an avid gardener a gift because once the holidays end they start planning next summer’s garden while watching the snowfall. It’s a way of thinking warm thoughts.
Knowing a gardener and knowing what that gardener likes, though, are two entirely different things.
One may love garden gnomes and another wouldn’t be caught dead with one. The last thing some gardeners need is another vase, while others can never have too many pots. Some are all about their vegetable garden while others are all about flowers. But I’ve never met a gardener who didn’t crave something they just never got around to buying for themselves.

Cardinals at Dearborn Market
Dearborn Market in Holmdel has a cardinal- themed collection that includes vases ($8 and $9), tree ornaments and wall plaques.

One way to satisfy the must-dig-in-dirt urge is via terrariums and the increasingly popular succulent gardens. Buy the ingredients or buy one ready made at Dearborn Market, Holmdel. There’s quite a collection of already-made gardens for table or for hanging in the $100 range and above. Dozens of varieties of slow growing plants, plus potting soil, charcoal, gravel, sand and containers are available to make your own, which may be what some people need this time of year. Home Depot also stocks plants for terrariums and succulent gardens.
Here are some more suggestions:

  • Dearborn also offers lavender and rosemary plants shaped like evergreens, $25 and $21, respectively, and olive trees at $25. A Double White Snow Rose bonsai sells for $35. Orchids are around $20 and up.
  • Gardeners also are bird lovers and cardinals are among their favorites. What’s not to like, right? The males look so great in winter against the bare branches and white snow. Dearborn Market has a cardinal-themed collection that includes vases ($8 and $9), tree ornaments and wall plaques.
  • If you are looking for architectural elements, Maple Leaf Gardens in Holmdel, has a crazy collection of funky metal items for the garden. There are hanging planters that look like funnels, signs, cages, containers, shelving, fencing (perfect for pea vines), beginning at a few dollars on up. There also were huge outdoor pots, some with a fleur-de-lis design ($150) and others with a raised alligator wrapped around it ($160).
  • Becker’s Hardware in Colts Neck, has a popular tool: a blade sharpener by Stihl designed for pruners and axes, $17. There weren’t any left.
  • For gardeners who have trouble kneeling or bending, a garden scooter is a way to keep in the game. The Garden Tractor Scoot with adjustable seat is available at the Gardener’s Supply website for for $90.
    For gardeners who have trouble kneeling or bending, a garden scooter is a way to keep in the game. The Garden Tractor Scoot with adjustable seat is available at the Gardener’s Supply website for for $90.

    For gardeners who have trouble kneeling or bending, a garden scooter is a way to keep in the game because gardening is mostly about kneeling and bending. You can find plastic models with tool compartments in the mid- $30 range at Walmart or metal ones such as the Garden Tractor Scoot with adjustable seat for $90 at Gardener’s Supply. Also, for $50, Deep-Seat Garden Kneeler (no wheels) can be used both for kneeling or sitting. Visit gardeners.com for more information.

  • Red tomato trays – which hug the plant’s stem – are suppose to stimulate plant growth while it discourages weeds and holds water for even distribution. Virtually every garden catalogue is offering them for about $12 for three trays. Even if you don’t produce the first red ripe tomato in your neighborhood, it may cut down on weeding and watering and that’s a good thing. Search “red tomato trays” online.
  • For the physically challenged and people with limited space, elevated gardens choices are increasing. Some are portable. Frontgate offers one 32-inches high made of steel on casters and has 10 square-feet of growing space. It’s on sale now for $270, usually $449. Elevated gardens made of wood sell for $249 and $299. Search “elevated gardens” online for more selections.
  • Plastic twisties from plastic bags can be recycled for garden use, but it would be nice to have something like White Flower Farm’s Green Twine in a Can for $8. The metal dispenser comes with a built-in cutter and holds 325 feet of 3-ply jute in the classic dark green color. Online at whiteflowerfarm.com.
  • A Joseph Bentley Garden Trug for carrying those beautiful zinnias or perfect eggplant from garden to kitchen is perfect. Made of wooden slats in a dark hue, the basket has two rounded handles, is 21-inches long, 12-inches wide and 6-inches tall (without the handles). Sells for $25 at WaysideGardens.com and JacksonAndPerkins.com
  • If you’re looking for something unique, the potting bench ladies at Sickles Market, 1 Harrison Ave., Little Silver, will create a one-of-a-kind pot of organic herbs. Pick the pot, plants, top dressing, signage, decoration. Prices start about $30. Horticulturist Molly Gearty says terra cotta pots are best for herbs and she likes the new smooth, dark chocolate colored clay pots ($1.29-$25). Besides such favorites as oregano and thyme, she said lemon verbena and sweet marjoram are increasing in popularity. A 12- inch tall bay laurel sells for $39. A conical- shaped Tuscany blue rosemary is $20. Call 732-741-9563 for details.
  • Google “weeding tools” and literally more than a 100 different images will pop up. Weeding is the bane of gardening but if you don’t get down and dirty, no matter what you are growing will not thrive. A great tool is the hand-held Cape Cod weeder with wooden handle and steel shaft with angled blade on the end. It comes in various lengths and is good for getting into hard-to-reach places as well as in raised beds for cutting the weeds below ground. WaysideGardens.com sells a 12-inch model for $12 and GardenToolCompany.com sells a two-footer for $30 in both left- and right- handed models.