50 Gift Ideas for the Gardener

Still trying to figure out what to buy for that special gardening friend for Christmas? Family members asking you what you would like for Christmas? Well, here are 50 gardening gift ideas that might help you out this season.

1. Hand pruners
2. Gardening gloves
3. Bird feeder with seed
4. Bird house
5. Digital camera
6. Bird bath
7. Heated bird bath
8. Gift card to a favorite nursery
9. Soil test kit
10. Plant Cam
11. Gardening magazine subscription
12. Gardening books
13. Gardening journal
14. Heat mat for starting those seedlings
15. Gardening knife
16. Plant grow light system
17. Seed starting kit
18. Amaryllis bulb
19. Garden bench
20. Garden kneeler
21. Pond making kit
22. Garden spinner
23. Garden chimes
24. Arbor
25. Gardening note cards
26. Gardening 2010 calendar
27. Composter for the garden or just the kitchen
28. Watering can
29. Stepping stone kit
30. Gardening coffee cup
31. Squirrel feeder
32. Garden art
33. Table top fountain or a large garden fountain
34. Hand lotion
35. Plant markers
36. Herb garden for the kitchen
37. Solar lights or 12 volt lights for the garden
38. Garden muck shoes
39. Garden related T-shirt
40. Garden related Christmas ornament for the tree
41. Spring flowering bulbs to grow inside
42. Garden tools
43. Garden design computer program
44. Gardening hat
45. Water bottle
46. A live historical tree seedling for the garden (see links)
47. Collapsible trash container
48. Fresh floral arrangement
49. Assorted garden seeds
50. Trugs, baskets or buckets to use in the garden

Suggestion: Purchase an assortment of garden items and put them into a basket, trug or flower pot for that special gardening friend. Add some fresh pine greenery, holly and a ribbon to make your gift festive.

Happy Holidays to all!

The Creative Gardener

Latex Free Bamboo Gardening Gloves

The last couple of days I have not been gardening. My doctor said that I could not play in the dirt due to an allergy to my gardening gloves. I have an allergy to latex and my gardening gloves make my hands look terrible. The purpose of gloves are to protect my hands from splinters, thorns, dirt and all the other things that we gardener come in contact with in the garden. I have a vast collection of gloves, most of which make me itch, swell and make my hands look like dry prunes.

Latex is a natural rubber that comes from the rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis. Many gardening gloves are coated with latex rubber. Since I garden professionally, my hands come in contact with this product regularly.

I just found a new type of gardening glove called "The ROC" by HandMaster. The glove provides UV protection, are antibacterial, anti-fungal, wicks moisture away from my hands and are breathable. They allow me to pick and weed out even the smallest of weeds. They are coated with Nitrile, which is a replacement for latex rubber, which does not cause allergic reactions. Nitrile gloves are being used by many nurses and doctors in the medical field who are allergic to latex. The gloves are also 100 % Bamboo which is a fast growing, sustainable resource that is environmentally friendly. The medication and the gloves are working and my hands are looking better than they have for a long time.

If you have allergies to latex, you might want to give Nitrile gloves a try in the garden.
Did you know - That if you are allergic to latex that studies are now showing a link to allergies of potatoes, kiwi, bananas, avocados, chestnuts, tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables.

Happy Gardening!

The Creative Gardener




Do have have allergy problems in the garden? Share your story in the comment section.

How to Sharpen and Clean Your Shovel

Gardening is a hard job! Why make it harder with a dull shovel. When you dig into the soil you dull your shovel by hitting rocks, roots and other buried items. Sharpening your shovel is not that hard. Take a flat mill file and follow the bevel of your shovel. Take long strokes filing down and to the side at a 45 degree angle. File in one direction and always away from you, using both hands. Make several passes over the same area until you see shiney new metal. After you have sharpened the front of the shovel, flip the shovel over and remove any burrs that are left. If you leave your shovel outside and it is rusted, you can use a lubricate spray and fine steel wool to remove the rust. A battery operated drill with a wire brush attachment can be used to remove heavy rust deposits. For shovels with wood handles, apply linseed oil to the handle to preserve the wood. This same procedure can be used on your garden hoe.




Gardening Tip: Take an old five gallon plastic bucket and fill it 3/4 full of clean play sand. Add 1 quart of motor oil to the sand. Each time you use your shovel, stick it in the sand several times. You will clean the dirt off your shovel and oil your shovel to prevent rust. Store your shovel cleaning bucket in your garden shed or garage.



Gardening Tip: If you are adding a new flower bed to your garden and need to remove existing sod from the area, here is how to do it. Take an old garden spade or square point shovel and sharpen the edge on a grinder till it is sharp. Water the sod area and wait for about 15 minutes. Now use the shovel to cut the sod by sticking the shovel under the sod and pushing. It will slice right through the sod.

The Creative Gardener

How to Sharpen and Clean Your Pruners

It's that time of year when some gardeners cannot do much in the garden due to the weather or you are just starting to work in the garden. Now is a good time to start cleaning garden tools and sharpening pruners for the upcoming growing season. Here are the steps to cleaning and sharpening your pruners.

Pruners collect sap when you use them. They also start to rust from being exposed to moisture. To clean them, remove the nut and bolt that holds them together.

After you have disassembled your pruners give them a spray with a lubricant spray and wait for about 5 minutes.

Rub each part of the pruner down with a piece of fine steel wool soaked with lubricant spray. Wipe off grime, rust and excess lubricant with a soft rag. Use an old toothbrush to get into those small spots that need to be scrubed and cleaned.

Use a sharpening stone to sharpen the blade. There are several different types available that you can purchase from garden or hardware stores. Keep the sharpening stone in full contact with the blade moving from the back of the blade to the tip. Repeat this process several times till you see shiney new metal exposed on the blade. You only sharpen the one blade.

Turn the blade over and remove any burrs from the back side of the blade with a diamond file.

Reassemble your pruners. Tighten the nut down tight then slightly loosen it till the pruners open and close correctly. Now you are ready to garden!

During the gardening season you can also give your pruners a quick sharpening without having to take them apart. Different pruners may come apart for cleaning differently than those shown in the pictures.

Did you know that you should sharpen your shovel? Check back for a future blog on how to do it.

The Creative Gardener