Friday, December 11, 2009

Not Just Another List of Gifts For Gardeners (There's a Giveaway, Too!)


Okay, it IS another list of gifts for gardeners, but I tried to find a few things that I haven't seen on other lists. A few are on other lists because they're just great gifts. I personally own some of these and others I wouldn't mind having. Santa, are you listening?

Have a look at the list and then be sure to enter the giveaway!


  1. Copper Hose Pot

    I've long been an admirer of these, but have never been able to part with the money it takes to buy one. Still, a girl can dream, can't she? Yardiac has a few nice ones on their site, and while I couldn't make up my mind between a couple of them, I decided the one with the verdigris finish would fit in best with our garden decor. It has a hole in the side, allowing you to keep the hose hooked up to the spigot, or if you want to use the pot as a planter, they include a plug for the hole.


  2. Bon-Aire Original Ultimate Hose Nozzle

    While we're talking about hoses, let me tell you about the hose nozzle I bought earlier this year. I've used many, many nozzles, mainly because they either didn't hold up, they got stiff and hard to squeeze, or they just stopped working altogether. But I love the Bon-Aire Ultimate Hose Nozzle!

    You can control the water flow to be as light or as strong as you want (five different spray patterns) and after an entire dry summer of giving it a workout, it worked just as well at the end of the summer as it did at the beginning. But even if it hadn't, it's got a lifetime warranty.


  3. Garden Plant Tags

    aHa! Modern Living has the. coolest. gifts. evah. I always like browsing their online store, because their offerings are unusual and chic. I particularly like their reusable plant tags. They come in sets of six (6 tags + 6 steel stakes) in either floral or herbal patterns. The herbal ones are my favorites. They recommend you use a gel ballpoint pen to write on the tags, then when you want to change the name you've written, just use soap and water to clean them and start over.


  4. Kombi Garden Shovel

    I received a Kombi Garden Shovel this week, along with a Kombi Trowel. Believe me, I was itching to go outside and use them, but winter decided to show up. The ground is frozen, so I'll have to wait until spring to give them a workout. Still, I can tell I'm going to LOVE these tools.

    They have a wickedly dangerous look to them, but their sharpened forked edges are what make them such a workhorse in the garden. I could have really used these when I was planting my bulbs out in the cold, semi-frozen ground a couple of weekends ago! More on these tools in the spring!


  5. "Glitz Bee" Necklace by Fossil

    There's plenty of jewelry out there that has a special appeal to gardeners. When I recently came across this "Glitz Bee" necklace by Fossil, I had to have it. We all know what an important part the bees play in the success of our gardens, so why not wear it proudly, close to your heart?

    I have an additional reason for buying this one. A co-worker calls me "Kylee Bumblebee" because people always try to slip an extra "B" into my last name and it sounds a bit like "bumblebee" when you pronounce it.

    Fossil offers "Glitz Bee" earrings as well, but I thought those to be a bit much when worn with the necklace, so I opted for the "Glitz Daisy" earrings. Flowers for my bee. :-)


  6. American Horticultural Society Membership

    I have touted the benefits of membership in the American Horticultural Society before. I've been a member for four years now and have more than gotten my membership dues in return, while benefiting this non-profit organization.

    For $35 a year, you receive a subscription to their excellent magazine, The American Gardener (6 issues, published bi-monthly). Showing your membership card will also get you into many botanical gardens across the country for free, as well as into many home and garden shows. You'll also receive a discount on purchases made in many of the gardens' gift shops.


  7. Velcro Plant Ties

    I use quite a bit of this every summer. I use it inside with my house plants, too. Velcro Plant Ties are such a great idea for twining plants, plants that tend to fall over, tying up tomato plants, and any number of other uses. You can tear off a section without using scissors and they're reusable. I'm amazed at just how long they last, being exposed to the elements, especially the sun.

    They're readily available in packages of varying lengths at your local garden centers and big box stores for under $10, so they would make a great stocking stuffer. (I received some in my stocking last year.)


  8. Copper Saucers

    Oh where were these when I was looking for square and rectangle saucers for under my houseplants? Garden Room has round ones in varying sizes, too. They're copper-plated steel and gorgeous.


  9. Garden Tree Ornaments

    Our Christmas tree has several blown glass ornaments, many of them garden related. I found this tomato ornament at Bronner's of Frankenmuth, Michigan. Hallmark usually has at least one gardening type ornament each year. I like the ones by Marjolein Bastin.


  10. Magnets by Brighton

    Brighton is one of my favorite stores. I proceed with caution when I choose to pass through their doors, because I know my bank account will suffer some degree of loss before I leave. They have so many beautiful things there that it's more than my willpower can handle. I found the cutest magnets that any gardener would love. A few are shown here:




  11. Woolly Vagabond Plant Purse

    Yes, it's a leather purse with plants. The Woolly Pocket Garden Company actually pictures their product in the hands of a woman, carrying it as a purse. A novel idea, but I like how it looks on this shelf. You can also get it with a reclaimed wooden pulley for hanging. An inquiry to the company about these tells me they're not in stock, so I can't tell you firsthand about the quality nor show you how I would use it, but I can imagine it in a certain location in my family room...


  12. EasyBloom Plant Sensor by PlantSense

    I reviewed this last year and used it for a couple of plants that I wanted to overwinter. Mostly, I used it for the large pot of Coleus that I overwintered last year and what do you know - I was not only successful, I had to keep pruning them back throughout the winter, they did so well. It was especially helpful in letting me know when I should water them. That's what always gets me - that frequency of watering thing.

    You can use the sensor for outdoor plants as well, but I personally think it's more helpful for houseplants. Not only will it tell you what you need to do to help your existing plants grow better, it will tell you what plants are best to grow in your particular environment. The geek in me loves how it collects information from your plant and its location and then interacts with your computer to give you recommendations.


PlantSense has generously provided an EasyBloom Plant Sensor for me to give away! The suggested retail price for this is $59.95 ($38.49 at Amazon), but one lucky reader will win one just by leaving a comment here, giving their own gardener gift suggestion.

I'll keep the contest open until Monday night, when I'll use a random number chooser to pick a winner from all the comments received by midnight EST. The EasyBloom will be shipped directly from the company to the winner, hopefully arriving in time for Christmas.

So tell me, what garden related item would you add to my gift list?

EDIT: For a list of great gardening books (always a good gift!), please visit my other blog, Gardening by the Book.

24 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

The bee necklace is the bees knees.

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Hi Kylee,

such a fun list you have and I covet many an item on it. That shovel is pretty cool not to mention wicked, love the necklace, the plant labels, the copper saucers (gorgeous) and the christmas tree ornament made me smile. It's good to know that you like Dutch Marjolein Bastin's work too, she's very popular here.

Pity that the ground is frozen solid so you can't try out yr new shovel. Here I'm still planting bulbs as we've had no frost this month, nor last month.

Sweet Home and Garden Carolina said...

That's a great list, Kylee Bumblebee, but I don't see any plants on it :-)

Ever since Dee at Red Dirt Ramblings and Carol at May Dreams Gardens peaked my interest in spider daylilies I've been doing a lot of searching 'cause they are pricey; I found one at $150!

Then I found Smokeys Gardens in Ft. Wayne , Indiana and they have a collection of six different kinds for around $40. There's 'Itsy Bittsey Spider', 'Lines of Splendor', 'Winegar', 'Parade of peacocks', 'Red ribbon' and 'Stoplight.'

Tell Santa that's what I'm pining for :-)

Dave@TheHomeGarden said...

The hose storage pot is just what I need around here...too many hoses and not enough places to put them!

You should add a really good pair of garden gloves. I bought a pair at the end of September and already wore them out!

Kylee Baumle said...

Lisa ~ Oh, you're GOOD! LOL

Yolanda Elizabet ~ I kind of figured Marjolein Bastin might be popular there. I've got a few of her things already and have given them as gifts. She's a very talented artist!
Lucky you, that you haven't had really cold weather yet! Ours took a sudden turn this past week, from warmer than normal to colder than normal, which is horrible for the plants, and with no snow cover. I mulched well though.

Carolyn Gail ~ Oh, plants go without saying! :-)
So you found Smokeys! Mom and I stopped there on the way home from Spring Fling and I picked up a few daylilies I'd ordered before we left home. They're actually about half an hour north of Ft. Wayne, and Romie and I will be going right by them on the way to a Christmas party tonight! I was pleased with their daylilies and will likely go there next summer again.

Tatyana@MySecretGarden said...

Nice gifts Kylee! The tomato ornament won my heart!

Hilda said...

My neighbors used to give me a clean-up day -- they'd come over and help me with the general fall or spring clean-up in the garden.

Benjamin Vogt said...

Geeze, that shovel looks like something I saw in a London medeival armaments exhibit. Holy cow.

Earth Girl said...

I might as well dream big:
July 1-14, 2010
England and Its Gardens
International Study Abroad for Purdue Master Gardeners

Here's a link:
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/eaig/

Darlene said...

You list has many things a gardener would love. That shovel looks like it could do the job, I go through quite a number of tools. I would add to your list any books on gardening that includes tips etc. And my favorite thing in my gardens are my many gazing balls. Oh and windchimes.

Jeannine said...

Great gift ideas! I especially love the copper hose pot. I think I would add gardening gloves and pruners to your list. My gloves are always wearing out and I always seem to be losing my pruners, so extras would be good! pe_mayfield(at)yahoo(dot)com

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

You have lots of great things on here, many I hadn't seen before. I love the look of that shovel, it looks like it could get through anything!
I always love garden books, you can never have too many :)

Garden Lily said...

I like the wicked-looking shovel, and the tomato ornament. Hmmm, if there is such a thing as garden shears which never go dull, that's what I'd hope for. (Or maybe I just need to get mine sharpened on occasion!)

MrBrownThumb said...

My suggestion would be the book "Bulb" by Anna Pavord. I don't think any gardener should be without it.

Unknown said...

OOOh, I like the copper saucers and hose holder, but those tags are also awesome. I haven't seen anything much that I like in terms of gardener gifts this year, except for two pewter Christmas ornaments that I bought and really, really like. And books, of course, can never go wrong there.

Anonymous said...

I have an uncle/godfather who has been a farmer all his life, and I purchased him some interesting heirloom tomato seeds from the Seed Savers' Exchange for Christmas. I think he'll have fun trying them out!

Rose said...

So many great ideas here, Kylee! I'm sure Santa won't have time to get me many of these, so I'm going to have to bookmark this post and refer back to it when I go shopping for myself. I love those plant tags! And I really want one of those copper hose pots! Thanks, too, for the reminder about the membership in the American Horticultural Society. I saw this on someone's else's post a long time ago and meant to check it out. If you visit many botanic gardens at all, it's definitely worth the price.

Hope Santa sees this and brings you lots of garden goodies, Kylee!

Oops, almost forgot the giveaway--I'd love to win this plant sensor. The one thing I'd add to your list is a nice garden journal, especially since I've been looking for one to give as a gift myself to a friend.

Jim Groble said...

As soon as I saw the the Kombishovel I ran upstairs and told pat that we(actually me)have to have one or two of these things. Thanks so much. This looks like another step in my search for the perfect garden tools. Merry Christmas.

jim

Carol Michel said...

What? No hoes on this list? Every garden needs at least three hoes at Christmas time. It just makes it a bit merrier and a bit more fun.

PlantingOaks said...

My list always includes more plant supports.
You know, these:
http://www.gardeners.com/Single-Stem-Flower-Supports/FlowerGardening_FlowerSupports,37-470RS,default,cp.html
There is always something falling over in the garden, and the metal kind is so much nicer than bamboo and twine.

Rebecca said...

I have dropped many a hints this year fo Felco shears. I even asked my brother, the former landscaper, to suggest the right pair to my secret Santa.

I love the glass vegetable ornaments. Every year I collect a new veggie. I hang them from ribons over my kitchen window.

Muum said...

I think I'd add more veggie Christmas ornaments, but that bee necklace is bee-yu-te-ful!

Melanie J Watts said...

It is always fun to read lists of suggested Christmas gifts and yours is definitely fun. I especially like the wooly vagabond plant purse. What a great idea to display it on a shelf filled with a pretty flowering plant.

Alison Kerr said...

I'd like to add the book "Bringing Nature Home" by Douglas Tallamy. Every gardener in America needs to read this book. The information in it is great and it truly changed my thinking on gardening.

blogger templates | Make Money Online