Gifts for gardeners on your holiday shopping list

Oro-Medonte Horticultural Society Updates

—by Lynne Melnyk

I am one of those who like to purchase gifts for my friends and relatives throughout the year. But as the holidays approach, if I still have a list of gifts to purchase, I get a little panicky. I also find that I get questions about what I might like for Christmas. So, if you have a gardener in your life, or are one yourself, here are some gardening tools that I have found I can’t live without.

I found this little garden knife at Lee Valley and it is so sharp it will cut through the toughest root ball. It is called a root knife and comes with its own protective cover. I have a Hori Hori knife but it or a shovel simply don’t measure up to this knife for dividing perennials.

I have pruners, loppers and a pruning saw for pruning and cutting backing shrubs and trees, but found branches too large for the loppers were a chore to saw through. This year I bought a 4” electric chain saw and it has changed my life. Instead of dreading cutting off a branch, now I’m looking around for what else I can use it on! Of course, I leave the big jobs to the professionals and I always wear protective gear. There are several small chain saws on the market; I purchased a Radley at Home Hardware and it is perfectly adequate for my purposes but there are also more expensive options available.

Finally, in my early days of gardening, I never used gloves, as I found I needed the contact with the soil and plants and the gloves were all too bulky and awkward. Once I discovered gloves with nitrile palms, I changed to always wearing them. I’m partial to Atlas 370 because they fit my small hands best and they come in great colours. You won’t find them in many garden centres anymore but other brands are available and Atlas is also available on line. They are perfect to tuck into a Christmas stocking.

I hope you find these gift ideas helpful, either for yourself or your loved ones.

Happy Holidays and happy gardening from Oro-Medonte Horticultural Society

Oro-Medonte Horticultural Society meets eight times a year, from March through November, with great speakers, workshops, a plant sale and community outreach by maintaining eight of the township’s gardens and planting new pollinator gardens. See you in the spring!

Check out all our activities at our website, www.oromedontehorticulturalsociety.ca.

—photo by Deb Halbot