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Season 1 • Episode 9 - November 12, 2022
This week on Garden Time we get into
the holiday spirit with our large list of gifts for the
gardener. If you are having trouble finding something
for your local green thumb, we have plenty of ideas. We
bring the ho, ho , ho and other great gift ideas to you
next, on Garden Time.
As we have talked about in the past on the Garden Time
TV show, buying a gift for the gardener can be a tough
thing, especially if you are not a gardener yourself. So
we thought we would put together a few ideas to help you
this holiday season for this episode of the podcast from
the
Al’s Garden and Home in Sherwood. I have even added
a few more ideas to the list that we didn’t cover in the
podcast.
Check out the sponsors page on the Garden Time website
for locations of some of our favorite places to shop.
Wildlife/Bird Supplies
Most gardeners are also animal lovers. So you can help
out those people by purchasing things to help them
attract wildlife and other critters to their yard. Bird
Houses, feeders and seed can be found at lots of stores
and garden centers. The Backyard Bird Shop is one place
where you can find the best selection. They can also
help you pick the right bird food for your local birds
so you don’t waste seed or money on your purchase. If
you like all wildlife, they also have feeders for
squirrels and other garden visitors. They even have bird
charts to help you identify your local feathered
visitors.
Binoculars
Great for the bird watcher or hiker in your life. You
can get these at local outdoor stores like Dick’s
Sporting Goods, REI or the Portland Audubon society
store.
Seeds – Bulbs
Seeds and bulbs are great stocking stuffers for the
gardener. You can find a great selection of seeds at
your local garden centers any time of year. Plus most of
them carry different varieties of bulbs too. For other
types of bulbs and flowers you can order them directly
from the growers. For tulips and daffodils you can check
out Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm. For irises and daylilies you
can go to
Schreiner’s Gardens. Check out Adelman Peony Gardens
for peonies and Swan Island Dahlias for summer dahlias.
You can also pick up the planting supplies for your
gardener so they can start their seeds this coming
spring to get a jump on the new gardening season. Pots,
soil, lights and heat mats are just what they need to
rejuvenate their green thumb in early spring. Also
Season Starter plant protectors are a great gift since
they will help protect those early plantings.
Tools
What gardener doesn’t need tools? Ryan shared a few that
you should think of for your favorite gardener. Pruners
are a must and there are great products to choose from
Dramm and Felco. Felco’s are an industry favorite and
you can get one to fit any need, plus you can find them
at nearly all your local garden centers. The new
Dramm ColorPoint Compact Pruner is new to the
market, but is just as good. A good pruner, or any good
tool, may cost a little more, but they will last longer
and perform better than a cheaper knockoff. Dramm is
also known for their great multicolored watering tools
too. Check out their website for hoses, sprinklers and
watering tools. Trowels are another must have. Look for
a good solid one piece construction and not a folded
metal blade that is easy to bend. We had a trowel from
Corona, but if you are looking for a tool that will last
a lifetime, check out
Red Pig Tools. Seth hand makes pretty much all his
tools. He can even help fit you with a long handled tool
so your body isn’t as stressed and worn out from working
in the garden. We also talked about the Hori Hori
Weeding knife. This is a great tool in the garden, that
can cut roots, dig holes, take out weeds and help you
with just about any other garden chore. We also talked
about pruning saws. Find a good one with nice cutting
teeth so you get a clean cut. That will help your plants
recover from the pruning sooner and it will be safer for
you too. As for other tools, you can find a huge
selection at your local independent garden center.
Garden Tool Organizer
You can find lots of different bags and benches to help
you organize your garden tools. Home Depot has tool
organizers that can be converted to hold tools, but some
of the best organizers are at your local garden center.
Garden Art and Structures
Garden art is not just pink flamingos and garden gnomes.
There are lots of different art pieces that you can add
to your garden to create year-round interest. Some of it
can even be functional. Consider garden gates, trellises
and arbors. You can even look at adding structures like
raised beds, tables and benches to enjoy your garden all
during the growing season. We would recommend
Garden Gallery Iron Works to find some of those more
permanent structures for your garden. You can even add a
fire pit or outdoor heater. You can get a wonderful
all-weather baja-chimney from Little Baja. Al’s in
Sherwood also has a new type of outdoor heater that uses
wood pellets so you can burn cleaner, hotter and with
less waste.
Weather Station
Are you or your gardening friends a weather watcher?
What about a patio Weather station? You can find these
at various places around the area, or on-line at the
WeatherShop.com.
Flowers – Plants
What gardener can turn down a plant or flowers for that
matter? Cut flowers will bring a smile to anyone and
they can be picked up at most grocery stores now in
addition to your local florist. Or if you want a gift
they will enjoy for years, pick up a great plant at your
local garden center. We looked at a couple from Al’s as
an example. Judy talked about the Chief Joseph Lodgepole
Pine. This one has green colored needles in the summer
and then they turn a bright golden color for the colder
winter. There was also a hellebore on the table called
‘Ice and Roses Merlot’ Hellebores are a great plant that
blooms in the winter and brings some needed color to
your garden. During the winter, indoor plants are also
very popular. Ryan showed us an anthurium. This one has
a wonderful waxy bloom that comes in various bright
colors. It is just one of the great indoor plants you
can find at your local garden center. You can also order
a live plant to be shipped to you or your friends, but
check with your local nursery to see if they offer the
service for customers.
Holiday plants are also great gifts, and a couple of
those are amaryllis and paperwhites. These are bulbs
that people can force into bloom in their homes for the
holidays or to brighten up those dark January days. You
can find a good selection of those plants and the
supplies to grow them at your garden center too!
Containers
A new pot or container for the deck or patio is a great
gift. Containers are becoming the ‘in’ thing because
they are perfect for any type of gardening. You can use
them on any deck and they can be moved if you have a
small area. Why not put a bag of Black Gold soil in the
container along with a great book on container
gardening. You can find a great selection of planters,
containers and other pots at your local garden center or
Terra
Casa in Damascus, just east of Portland.
Gloves
Every gardener needs gloves and there are tons to choose
from. You will find a wide selection at your local
garden center. There is one set of gloves that we have
found that people just love,
Garden Like a Girl Weedies! These great gloves are
designed for women (sorry guys) and are reinforced to
handle those tough garden chores. They also offer a line
of garden clothing that uses recycled materials and
benefit various charities and causes. Check out their
website for the details. Right now they are offering a
Holiday Bundle Special for gloves and clothing! The
Holiday Bundle is listed on the main page of their
website.
Check out the link here!
Books
The true gardener enjoys a good garden book and we are
blessed to have many top publishers in the United
States. There are serious garden books like the book we
had on ‘Native and Ornamental Conifers in the Pacific
Northwest’, and there are more light hearted books like
‘Floral Libations’ which is full of drink recipes based
on floral ingredients. We even had a book, ‘Garden
Time’, which we were kinda partial to based on our name,
which was written for kids and was full of great
colorful illustrations. This book was a favorite of the
producer’s grandson, and we’re sure it will be a
favorite for your young gardener. Be sure to check your
local bookstore or garden center to see what they have
in stock.
Gift Cards
This is a great gift for any gardener. Gift cards allow
your friends to return to the garden center and pick out
the gift they prefer. Most garden centers have gift
cards. Some of the bigger garden centers also have
member’s clubs where you can get special offers all-year
long. Check out the special clubs at Al’s Garden and
Home, Portland Nursery,
Blooming Junction and Garland Nursery.
If you have kids and they want to get involved in gift
giving, you may want to have them make some handmade
gift cards. These can be redeemed for time spent weeding
the garden next year, or even spending time in the
garden with grandparents for an afternoon. The ‘gift’
can be anything you want to offer. There are templates
for these types of gift cards on-line so it can be easy
to make and easy to give.
Load of Compost – Mulch
Nothing says Merry Christmas like a load of compost. But
really, what could be a better gift than a healthier
garden and that is what you get with garden mulch! We
have a great local source at Grimm’s Fuel. They can dump
it in bulk or even apply it to your garden for you. They
even carry firewood too!
Hammock
It may not be the right time to find one of these, but
we can speak from experience. There is nothing like
hanging out in your garden on a hammock during the
summer! Check on-line or at your garden center to find
one that fits in your garden.
Grill
If there is one thing we have learned while doing the
Garden Time show, it’s that you can grill year-round in
the Northwest. There are various grills that are
available and some of your local garden centers do carry
different brands. Once you get that grill/gift why not
pick up some great meat (or a gift card) at Gartner’s
Meats to use on that grill.
Fountain
The sound of water is very soothing and you can get a
fountain for any size space. One place you can find just
the right fountain is at
Terra
Casa. We mentioned them earlier for pottery, but
they can convert almost any pot into a tremendous
outdoor fountain too. They even have tabletop fountains
to bring that soothing sound even closer. Other places
where you can find a good selection are Hughes Water
Gardens, Tsugawa’s or most of your local garden centers.
Outdoor Furniture
You have spent a lot of time planting and perfecting
your garden, so now get some nice furniture so you can
relax and enjoy it.
Al’s Garden and Home has a great selection of
quality outdoor furniture. You get what you pay for so
make sure you go with quality when you buy. We purchased
some very nice furniture many years ago and we are still
using it over 20 years later, and it’s a lot more
comfortable than those weak plastic chairs that others
use.
Subscriptions - Memberships
There are too many good garden magazines to mention, but
the top ones include Better Homes and Gardens,
Horticulture Magazine, Sunset Magazine, and
Fine Gardening. There are also specialty
publications for collectors of various flowers so you
may want to research specific magazines about roses,
perennials or other specialty groups.
If you want to enjoy a more ‘hands-on’ subscription, why
not a membership to one of the local gardens?
Lan
Su Chinese Garden,
The Oregon Garden,
The Portland Japanese Garden, and
Leach Botanical Garden all offer memberships so you
can support these gardens and give a wonderful gift at
the same time.
Personal Comfort Items
This is a broad category and includes items like hand
creams, potpourri, infused soaps and oils and spa trips.
Of course you can find a lot of personal care items at
your local garden center, but the spa trip may need a
little more research on your part (but will be a welcome
gift when spring clean-up rolls around).
Picture Frame/Journal
If you know a photographer who loves bringing their
garden into their house a digital picture frame is a
great gift. You can find different models starting at
$40 and moving up to a couple hundred dollars, depending
on the bells and whistles. These frames are a wonderful
way to enjoy your garden long after the season has
ended. A garden journal is also a good gift for the
gardener that likes to write. A journal can let them
capture the details of their garden, or the feelings
they have when they are gardening. You can find both of
these items at lots of local stores in the area.
Garden Gag Gifts
These can be the most fun especially if your gardener
has a good sense of humor. A garden gnome, a chia pet, a
cute garden plaque, or even a funny coffee cup can be a
cute little reminder that you know about their gardening
passion and you want to celebrate it.
We hope these ideas help you get off the ground with all
your garden gift giving, but this is just a short list.
For more ideas, stop by your local independent garden
center.
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2022
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