Hoe, Hoe, Hoe: Holiday Gardening Gift Ideas

Every year I seem to get to my holiday gift suggestions a little late, so this year I think I’m trying to make my suggestions a little early to give you plenty of shopping time. In this column and next week’s, I’ll offer for this holiday season some plant suggestions, a bit of hand protection, some identification, getting high in the garden, a new camera that you can get wet, dirty and up real close for those great flower and bug shots, one or two books, one of which is one of the funniest books, yes a garden book, that I’ve read in many years. And then there are the stocking stuffers, greenhouse stuffers and more. From the perfectly practical to the absolutely ridiculous. So, let’s get started.Giving plants as holiday gifts can be risky for several reasons, but give the right plant to the right gardener and you’ll make someone very happy with months to years of remembrances. Your first job is to figure out what plant and how much you want to spend. If it’s an orchid you can spend as little as 15 bucks and go way up into the hundreds. Obviously the 15-buck orchid might be for a novice because if you spend $500 on an orchid and gift it to someone who has little to no orchid experience all you’ll be doing is guaranteeing an expensive failure and disappointment.

There are easy orchids and difficult ones, so keep that in mind. Local garden centers carry a wide range of orchids and are among the best places to shop for these plants. Local garden centers can also shop for you if there’s a particular type of orchid you’re looking for, but let them know soon, as the best sell out quickly.

Then there’s the weather issue with gift plants. As we get closer to the holidays it gets colder and drier, making is riskier to move plants around. Maybe you’ve got a place to stash a plant and hold it for several weeks, but good luck in hiding it. Again, this is where your local garden center can be helpful, especially if they’ve got a greenhouse and will hold the plant for you. Don’t limit yourself to orchids, though, as there are some magnificent indoor ferns and tropicals for all kinds of light situations. Steer clear of plants like azaleas and other seasonal plants that are short-lived indoors. Poinsettias have been out of favor for a number of years, but there are some pretty remarkable varieties around and some find them a challenge and enjoy trying to get them to rebloom. Amaryllis is another plant that has magnificent flowers (not scented, though) and foliage that lasts for months with the added benefit that it will reflower every year if cared for properly.

For the largest selection and range of gift plants, though, you may want to consider Logees Greenhouses (logees.com) for a number of reasons. First of all, they’ve been in business for years and have one of the most extensive indoor and greenhouse plant offerings that you’ll find. They can also be helpful in making suggestions, but don’t wait for weeks and expect them to pick up the phone on the first ring and be as cheery as Santa. And lastly, they are close by in Connecticut, so plants don’t sit in a UPS or FedEx truck for days freezing their expletives off. And not coincidentally they’ve got a great selection of Christmas cacti. Pot sizes tend to run on the small size, but ask if they have larger plants available.

The other mail order source that’s close by is the White Flower Farm. While overpriced, this retailer’s offerings are hard to beat. And if it’s amaryllis you’re looking for, you’ll be hard-pressed to match their collection of more than 50 varieties—and unlike the bulbs you may find elsewhere these will be dormant and ready to go, not sprouted with spindly sprouted stalks. Hit them up at whiteflowerfarm.com and you’ll find just about everything that’s in their holiday catalog if not more. A word of caution though … you may be tempted by the great pictures of the orchids you can buy from them. Buying gift orchids by mail makes me a bit nervous, and you might do better buying locally.

Aside from live plants the next best thing might be seeds, or a gift certificate for seeds or plants. Gift certificates say you care but leave the most difficult part of buying the right gift in the giftee’s hands. You make the effort, they make the choice. For vegetable seeds and the most helpful seed packets in the business I’ve been recommending Renee’s Garden Seeds for a number of years (Reneesgarden.com). Renee has a selection of hybrid seeds, heirlooms, international varieties and plenty of new introductions and a special collection of books for gardeners who like to cook. You’ve probably seen these seeds for sale at the better garden centers, but when you give a gift certificate for these seeds there are no blank spots or empty seed racks to worry about. Better yet, you’ll get a 15-percent discount on your holiday gift certificates, so that’s 15 percent more to either spend … or save.

For high-quality trees, shrubs and perennials there is no better mail order company than Klehm’s aka Song Sparrow Nursery (Songsparrow.com). The have a wonderful collection of hardy plants, great perennials including hostas and peonies and a number of tree selections that you and your giftee won’t find locally. If not the best they are certainly among the best when it comes to shipping and getting out quality plants that thrive. You’ll certainly make points if you give one of their gift certificates.

For the economy- but quality-minded gardener who’s into perennials there’s Bluestone Perennials (Bluestoneperennials.com). I’ve been buying from this family-owned nursery for more than 30 years, and their catalog, offerings and selections have certainly matured along the way. Like Songsparrow, Bluestone ships quality plants that always seem to arrive in top condition and they offer a long list of perennials. The offerings may not be as sophisticated as some, but for the beginning to intermediate gardener into perennials a Bluestone gift certificate will be much appreciated.

Last, but by no means least, is Plant Delights Nursery (Plantdelights.com). This is the place where we go for the unusual and newer introductions in perennials and marginally hardy perennials. This is where you go to buy plants to experiment with, to grow something that no one else has, and to broaden your gardening palette. A gift certificate from this eclectic and outrageous nursery will tempt the experienced and temper the expert. And while the quality can vary and the shipping ain’t the greatest, your giftee simply won’t find a similar range of perennials and tenders from any other mail order source. Oh, and their catalog is absolutely the most creative, literary and well done—somewhere between The New Yorker and Mad Magazine.

Now, I think seed packets make great gifts and even better stocking stuffers, but what about a little set-up for starting those seeds indoors? The best and simplest seed starting kit for a home gardener consists of a heating mat, a tray for the seedlings (pots, cells, etc.) and a dome to retain the warmth and humidity until the seedlings get going. I found the perfect kit at Hydrofarm that includes everything to get the process going, and for $50 it looks like a great set-up. It comes with an electric heating mat and a standard 11-by-22-inch tray that is perfect for any cell pack configuration, two domes (the taller one is also vented) and peat pellets for starting things, though any container or pot will fit on the flat. You can find the kit here: http://goo.gl/5E0ff0, and it really looks like a great starter for those who want to grow their own.

Next week: more gift ideas, including books, a camera for gardeners, getting high in the garden and more. Keep growing.