Brian Minter: Gifts for the gardener on your list

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Finding just the right gift for someone who has a passion for gardening can be a bit of a challenge. Most of the gardening community appreciate gifts that are a little unique, a little bit of fun, and have a purpose.  The gardening world is an extension of nature and the environment, so we need to work harder to understand and appreciate both.

With this in mind, here are some relevant gift ideas:

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Winter flowering plants are ideal presents as they will continue to grow each year, lift our spirits in the dull days ahead, and provide flowers for hummingbirds and the odd overwintering pollinator which may venture out in milder weather.

Red flowering sasanqua camellias like Yuletide, viburnum Pink Dawn, and lonicera fragrantissima are just three of many possibilities. The new Gold collection of hellebores, or Christmas Roses, are now in full bloom and will continue to flower into late winter.

As the Avian flu continues to be a challenge for bird feeders, planting living bird feed is a great alternative. Three berried plants in particular are much loved by birds: the deciduous holly, ilex verticillata with red or yellow berries, evergreen pyracantha, also available in shades of orange, red or yellow,  and cotoneasters are all beautiful, versatile landscape plants, and are a great source of food for birds.

The growing trend of food gardening is becoming more specialized as younger folks are looking for more exotic and heat loving vegetables. Melons of all types are very popular as well. Packages of seeds, which are also available online from seed companies at this time of year are also appreciated. Both newer and heritage varieties of tomatoes, hot peppers and new cucumber varieties like Quick Snack are great to have on hand for an earlier start in spring.

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Easy-to-grow food plants like cranberries, lingonberries, and evergreen huckleberries provide winter food in our gardens. Colonnade and columnar apple trees are great for small spaces and combination blueberry plants will often give fruit the next summer.

The passion for perennials is also growing and many evergreen varieties like euphorbias, in every colour, and edible, red-berried gaultheria procumbens, or wintergreen, can be enjoyed now and well into spring.

Season-extending greenhouse structures are being used more than ever for earlier plant starts and later harvests. Innovative cold frames and mini greenhouses are inexpensive gift ideas, but smaller glass greenhouses, sunrooms, greenhouse windows and glass extensions to our homes allow multiple opportunities for growing a wider range of plants indoors, as well as providing a way to overwinter our outdoor patio bloomers like mandevillas, coleus, and hibiscus. These year-round structures are also ideal for growing citrus fruits which reward us with both fragrance and fruit.

Indoor container gardens, with proper lighting, are a great way to enjoy fresh herbs and leafy vegetables like lettuce and spinach over the winter. They also make an ideal place to start seeds.

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Mushroom kits are also available this time of year to grow some fabulous mycophiles.

There is still a continuous quest for the more exotic tropical plants. Philodendron monstera White Wizard, the ZZ plant, Zamioculcas zamifolia or Zanzibar gem Black Raven, aglaonema Pink Valentine and Vanilla orchids are just some of the more unusual indoor jewels.

If you’ve been wondering how to create a little more magic in even a small-space backyard, a good garden designer can make all the difference. Landscape architects, of course, will provide you with great hardscaping ideas for greater privacy, canopies to help cool down your summer patio, and planting schemes which will carry your garden from one season to the next. Professionals will help you reimagine your outdoor spaces to make your yard more usable all year long.

As we spend more time outdoors enjoying our warmer, drier summers, outdoor furniture is in greater demand. Either a set or an eclectic mix of comfortable chairs or sofas would make your garden viewing far more enjoyable.

One of the great flower show experiences is the Seattle Northwest Flower and Garden Show taking place Feb. 14-18. The theme is celebrating Spring Vibes Only. Taking your favourite gardener along for the day, or the weekend, would be a fabulous gift and be something to look forward to in the new year. Check their website for more information and online tickets.

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Something all gardeners love is a seed catalogue or a good gardening magazine. A good bookshop, and sometimes even your grocery or drug store, will offer a good selection of gardening publications. You can also send away for more unusual seed catalogues for after Christmas searching. They are something any good gardener really appreciates.

If folks on your list are older and less able to look after their lawns and gardens, helping them out yourself, or with a garden maintenance company would be a tremendous idea.

Of all the Christmas gift ideas, probably one of the best is a gift card from their favourite garden store hangout. Gardeners can be a frugal lot, and a gift card is like giving them the keys to the candy store.

I also wish everyone a safe, happy holiday season.

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