The Holidays are upon us! If you have a garden lover on your gift
list, you might be wondering what to buy for him or her. After all,
it’s not as if you can cram a dogwood tree into a stocking. No,
really, I mean it. Kids, don’t try this at home.
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But at this time of year, those of us who love to be outdoors working
with our plants get the winter blues as we stare out the window at a
bleak landscape, wishing it was spring time. Here are a few gift
ideas, under $30.00, for garden lovers…
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“The Botanical Palette” by Margaret Stevens, PSBAbr
Both Cheryl and I enjoy painting. Because our home is surrounded by
many acres of trees and shrubs of every size and variety, both wild
and cultivated, plants are frequently the subject of our paintings.
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We were fascinated by “The Botanical Palette,” subtitled Color for the
Botanical Painter, and published by Collins in association with the
Society of Botanical Artists. It features 20 step-by-step
demonstrations to address the problem that many aspiring artists face
when trying to find the ‘right’ colors. The detailed demonstrations
reveal exactly how each flower painting is created, from the initial
drawing to the finished illustration.
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But you don’t even need to be an artist to appreciate this book. With
over 300 superbly reproduced color illustrations, this is an excellent
gift for anyone who loves the beauty of nature.
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The Planketbr
I’d mentioned this product briefly in a recent column about protecting
tender plants from frost, but only now has the weather been cold
enough for me to try it. This would be a very practical gift for your
gift-list gardener who is concerned about losing plants in a cold snap
this winter.
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Unlike plastic sheeting or garbage bags, the Planket allows plants to
breathe while covered. Plankets are lightweight and easy to handle,
and the drawstrings mean they are easy to secure around the base of
the plant. They also have grommets in case you need to peg down the
cover more securely.
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They are available in four sizes: 6 ft, 8 ft and 10 ft diameter and a
really big 10 ft x 20 ft rectangular blanket. Cheryl and I first saw
the Planket on HGTV’s “I Want That” and you can see a clip from that
show at a href="http://www.theplanket.com"www.theplanket.com/a
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No, a Planket won’t replace diamonds as the most romantic gift, but a
true garden fanatic could find one or two of these plant savers very
welcome this winter.
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a href="http://www.greenwoodnursery.com/products.asp?
dept=20"Butterfly houses and bat houses/abr
Gardeners love to see butterflies flitting silently around them as
they work with their plants. One very good way is to ensure an
abundance of butterflies is to provide them with some free lodging.
(Another good way is to plant butterfly-attracting shrubs such as
Buddleia.)
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A butterfly house helps increase the butterfly population and protects
them from predators and the elements. The vertical slots let
butterflies sneak in safely while the weather and their enemies are
kept outside.
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If you dislike mosquitoes as much as I do, bats are your real-life
heroes, rather than that comic-book superhero. Bats can eat hundreds,
even thousands, of mosquitoes in a single night, meaning there are
fewer skeeters to feast on me. Hang a few bat houses away from your
house and you’ll encourage them to nest there rather than in your
attic.
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Many bat houses come in kit form so they can be a fun family project.
Both adults and kids enjoy assembling the kits, and it’s a good way to
understand how beneficial bats are to our environment.
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Be sure that any bat house kit you pick is open at the bottom so birds
cannot nest in it. You can find good butterfly houses and bat houses
for under $30.00.
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a href="http://www.greenwoodnursery.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ACC+SO+TE
+KIT"AccuGrow Soil Test Strips/a
Testing your soil is the smart way to grow beautiful vegetables,
flowers, fruits, lawns and houseplants. Only by knowing the nutrient
levels in your soil can you determine what you need to add to maximize
growth.
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With this product, you simply dip e test strip into a soil sample and
you get test results within minutes. Each strip has a chemically
impregnated pad that changes color when exposed to soil and is then
compared to a color chart to indicate levels of pH, nitrogen,
phosphorus and potassium. A good gift, under $30.00, for your
gardener!
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The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs
and landscaping to a
"steve@landstew ard.org/a and
for resources and additional information, or to subscribe to Steve’s
free e-mailed newsletter, a href="http://
www.landsteward.org"www.landsteward.org/a