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With gardening being America’s No. 1 hobby, it
is likely that you have several gardeners on your gift list. Here’s a
short list of items that most gardeners will appreciate.
• Garden knife. A garden knife can be used for a variety of gardening
activities, including digging, weeding, and cutting. Desirable features
include a comfortable handle and sharp stainless-steel blade with a
serrated edge. Another good feature to look for is a notched tip, ideal for
getting out the long roots of dandelions, which can invade flowerbeds. Be
sure to get a protective sheath with a belt loop. Some terms to look for
include “multipurpose garden knife,” “all-in-one
knife,” “soil knife,” and “hori-hori” (the name of a
Japanese digging tool).
• Gardening
clothing. While carrying out gardening
chores, many gardeners forget to protect their skin from the sun. Many
types of gardening clothes are on the market, and many are available on the
Internet. A wide-brimmed hat with overhangs in the front and back is a
great choice for blocking the sun from the face, ears, and neck. Fairly new
to the market is sun-protective clothing, garments with sun-protection
factors similar to those of sunblock. • Ergonomic
gardening tools. Ergonomic tools are
designed to maximize the body’s muscle action while minimizing stress
and strain. Most are designed to encourage the use of arm and wrist muscles
instead of back and shoulder muscles.
• Hand pruners. Every gardener needs a good durable set of hand
pruners. Look for a tool with replaceable parts. Scissors-type pruners
(a.k.a. bypass pruners) are recommended over the anvil type (those with a
blade on one side and a flat surface on the other), which tend to crush the
stem instead of delivering a sharp cut. Include a holster for easy access.
• Gardening
literature. Few gardeners can refuse a good
gardening book or subscription to a garden magazine. There’s a
variety of magazines to choose from; just make sure that the content is
applicable to Illinois growing conditions.
Your local University of Illinois Extension offers
several great publications, including the Pocket
Guide to Good Gardening. Small enough to fit
in your back pocket and durable enough to weather many trips into the
garden, the book covers such topics as general gardening tips and key
garden-safety concerns. U of I Extension publications may be purchased at
your local extension office or online at Pubs Plus (pubsplus.uiuc.edu/). Other welcome gifts include new plant cultivars, a
work apron, garden clogs or boots, leaf shredders, a heavy-duty spade, a
kneeling pad or bench, a garden calendar, and gardening software. One gift
from the heart that doesn’t cost a cent is a coupon for a set number
of hours of weeding, planting, mowing, or raking.
Jennifer Fishburn is a horticulture educator with the
University of Illinois Extension Sangamon-Menard Unit. Contact her at
fishburn@uiuc.edu.
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.
