The days always seem to pass more quickly as Christmas approaches. I think I’ve got all the time in the world to buy the perfect present for everyone on my list, and then suddenly I’m scrambling to get it all done. I know I’m not alone in this.
My mother hated Christmas, and whenever she was asked what she’d like for a present she would invariably answer, “A new mop.” Of course, no one dared to grant her that wish. You probably have gardeners on your list who, like my mother, would like to find something utilitarian under the tree.
There are more handy gardening gizmos than ever before. As I perused the local garden centers recently, eye-catching items practically jumped off the shelves and into my cart. Even for the gardener who has everything, you’re sure to find something new that will surprise and delight.
For a splurge, there are top-quality tools made by a couple of Dutch companies, Sneeboer and Dewit. If you don’t want to break the bank, you might choose a hand trowel from their wide selection. There are digging trowels, potting trowels, transplanting trowels with a narrower blade that’s perfect for digging in tight spaces and planting bulbs, and trowels with a serrated edge, like a hori-hori knife, for cutting tough roots underground.
Dewit even makes a trowel with a bottle opener cut into the blade so you can pop open a cold beer to reward yourself for a hard day’s work.
Pruners are another splurge that’s worth the expense. Felco offers an enormous variety of pruners for right- and left-handed gardeners. They also make snippers for fruit trees and more delicate jobs and hand saws for branches that are too big for normal pruners. Corona pruners are a bit less expensive and always get good reviews.
One of my favorite new tools is the Terra hand rake made by Yard Butler. Its tines are strong but gentle enough to tease dead leaves out of garden beds without damaging plants. The tool is perfect for getting rid of the leaves that embed themselves in low shrubs like cotoneaster and juniper.
Yard Butler also makes full-sized rakes. I’ve never tried one, but I’ll bet they’re a cut above the green plastic ones in my garage.
I’ve never had a rain gauge. This is probably because when I was growing up in Virginia, my father had a love-hate relationship with his rain gauge. Summer droughts were the norm and my father checked his gauge constantly. He was usually disappointed and would come into the house cursing, as if it was the fault of the rain gauge.
But given how climate change has wreaked havoc on our weather patterns, having a rain gauge seems like a good idea. Maybe I’ll give one to myself in the hope that it will banish those long-ago memories.
Speaking of rain, I’ve seen some gorgeous watering cans lately, including heavy-duty plastic ones in a variety of colors and sizes. Some have extra-long spouts for watering hard-to-reach plants, while others are narrow enough to sit on the windowsill and small enough for children to use. We all need to water, at least occasionally, and a well-made watering can makes the job less onerous.
You can’t go wrong with gloves, even if they’re not terribly exciting. Some have long cuffs, others are thermal for cold-weather work. You might choose sturdy deerskin ones or light, inexpensive ones in all the colors of the rainbow that still go into the washing machine. It’s always a treat to find a new pair I’ve stashed away after Christmas when I start working in the garden again.
If there are young gardening enthusiasts on your list (or if you’d like to encourage your kids to get into the act), there are dozens of child-size tools available. Shovels, diggers, hoes, virtually anything that doesn’t have a dangerously sharp blade.
For those who, unlike my mother, would prefer something more decorative than useful, there are plenty of possibilities. Garden-themed mugs and teapots, journals and hand towels (I’d include kitchen towels, but those might suggest labor) are easy to find and not so expensive. Gardening calendars like the one produced by UMass Extension split the difference between functional and ornamental.
And then there are the bird-related objects. Who couldn’t use a new hummingbird feeder? There are so many lovely ones to choose from.
Bear in mind that some are more decorative than practical. I recommend one that’s easy to fill and clean. It’s important to think about what’s best for the birds. Hummingbird feeders need to be cleaned and refilled frequently — at least twice a week in hot weather. So it doesn’t make sense to provide large quantities of sugar water all at once, unless you have a veritable army of hummers at your feeder.
There are always new and improved birdfeeders designed to thwart squirrels. I’ve had good luck with a plastic tube surrounded by a wire cage that shuts the feeding holes when a heavy animal grabs the cage. My hat is off to any squirrel that can break into one of these feeders.
As with hummingbird feeders, for the birds’ health and safety, regular bird feeders should be cleaned twice a month, or even more frequently if the weather is wet. (For instructions on cleaning, there are many good websites such as allaboutbirds.org.) Careful hygiene is critical in light of the devastating bird eye disease that swept our area last summer.
Bird-watching binoculars are pricey but oh so nice. For my birthday last year, my husband gave me a pair of Zeiss 8 x 25 compact glasses. They are small enough to fit into a coat pocket, but they’re also light enough to wear around my neck. In my opinion, size matters. If they’re too big and heavy, I’m not likely to take them out when I’m walking the dog. Of course, bigger models have more powerful magnification. It’s a trade-off.
On a smaller scale, a totally satisfying gift is a potted amaryllis bulb. These come in kits with bulb, pot and potting medium in one box. Or, if you have time to spare, you can buy loose bulbs and pot them yourself. Paperwhites are another option. These make excellent hostess gifts and are a welcome change from the usual calorie-laden treats that accumulate this time of year.
Of course, you can always give both!
Mickey Rathbun, an Amherst-based lawyer turned journalist, has written the “Get Growing” column since 2016.