Garden gems

Shopping for the right gift for each person on your list can be very challenging. But if your list includes a gardener, shopping will be a breeze, since anything related to gardening will end up being their favorite gift. Even though this is the off-season for gardening, most large garden centers like Northwest Seed & Pet carry a wide variety of gardening items that make wonderful gifts.

Good mail-order sources include Gardener’s Supply ( www.gardeners.com), Park Seed ( www.parkseed.com) and Lee Valley Tools ( www.leevalley.com).

If you intend to buy a few different gifts, the packaging can be just as much fun as the gifts themselves.

Baskets and flower pots make great gift packages. Tubtrugs – flexible tubs that come in sizes ranging from 3.5 gallons to 15 gallons – are colorful, useful containers that any gardener would be thrilled to get. They cost $11 to $32.

Garden gloves have come a long way in recent years. In the past, women had to put up with ill-fitting men’s gloves that are too heavy and cumbersome for most gardening tasks.

Nitrile gloves ($5) fit a woman’s hand beautifully, are lightweight and come in cool colors – and, as you know, being fashionable in the garden is an important consideration. Rose growers will appreciate gauntlet-style gloves to protect their arms ($35).

Hand pruners are one of the most important tools a gardener needs. Most gardeners agree the best brand is Swiss-made Felco ($58-$70). Corona bypass pruners are a good-quality substitute for about $17.

An unusual gift is the illuminated microscope ($18) that just arrived at Northwest Seed & Pet.

“People love these handheld microscopes for identifying bugs,” said sales associate Karen Marcus.

Any gardener who starts their seeds indoors can use a seedling heat mat. These mats, which are placed under a planted flat, provide seeds with the warmth they need in order to germinate.

They come in three sizes: ones that hold a single flat ($29), two flats ($55) and three flats ($90).

Gardeners’ knees will appreciate having a kneeling cushion. They range from $3 up to $24 for the gel-filled models.

Garden kneelers ($35) are also very popular. They have long handles which help a gardener push up from a kneeling position or use their arms to slowly lower themselves onto their knees. When flipped over, it becomes a bench.

Garden clogs ($22), another fun gift that comes in bright colors, will provide gardeners with shoes that can get muddy.

If you’d prefer to give something that’s growing, there are several reasonably-priced options.

You can buy a pot, cactus soil mix and several small cactus plants to create a cactus garden that needs minimal care. Both Northwest Seed & Pet and Stanek’s Nursery have a good supply of plants and pots.

Pre-potted Amaryllis bulbs, available for about $12, can be found at home and garden centers. Houseplants are sold just about everywhere.

And yes, there’s always the Chia Pet – but if you really must buy one, go for the herb garden that sells for $16. That gives the gardener a chance to play in the dirt during the winter and harvest herbs like basil, parsley and cilantro.

Since birds help keep insects under control, gifts of birdhouses, bird baths and feeders will attract them to the garden as well as add beauty and interest to the landscape.

Subscriptions to such magazines as Organic Gardening, Herb Quarterly, Garden Gate and Garden Design are reasonably priced and always appreciated.

Garden books provide gardeners with great ideas and helpful references. Auntie’s Bookstore carries a good selection, as do Barnes & Noble, Hastings and Border’s Books.

Some suggested titles include:

•“Sunset Western Garden Book” (Sunset Publishing, 768 pages, $24.95). This time-tested resource covers all manner of plants and growing techniques.

•“Vegetable Gardener’s Bible” by Edward C. Smith (Storey Books, 310 pages, $24.95). Techniques for growing vegetables organically in raised beds.

•“Gardening in the Inland Northwest” by Tonie Jean Fitzgerald (Washington State University Cooperative Extension, 172 pages, $13.95). Straightforward information on growing plants in our region.

•“Perennials” by Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix (Firefly Books, 476 pages, $45). This new guide covers 2,500 perennials including a photograph of each.

•“How to Grow More Vegetables” by John Jeavons (Ten Speed Press, 268 pages, $19.95). Detailed guide to growing vegetables organically and intensively.

•“Guide to Pruning” by Cass Turnbull (Sasquatch Books, 317 pages, $19.95). Fun, useful guide to pruning trees and shrubs like a pro.

If the gardener on your list has been extra good this year, you’ll wow them with tickets to the huge Northwest Flower and Garden Show ($16), which runs Feb. 18 through 22 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in downtown Seattle. Learn more by visiting www.gardenshow.com.

And finally, if you are completely stumped, gift cards for local garden centers or mail-order companies make great gifts, as do gardener’s hand soaps and lotions, copper plant tags, seed-starting kits and garden-themed calendars.