What every gardener wants

Are you looking to buy a gift for a gardener but are completely clueless as to what to purchase? Not to worry as I asked my Master Gardener community of friends for their gift suggestions and their responses didn't disappoint.

In this gift list you will find the ordinary and the not so ordinary, from tools to art pieces, with price ranges for every budget and every age group. Some items can be found in and around Smyrna; the rest can be purchased online.  

Matt Lester, owner of Living Color in Smyrna, 2036 Atlanta Rd., likes to keep his inventory low. This way his plants remain fresh. His flats of flowers are good-looking and reasonably priced. He carries the standard variety of landscape shrubs and trees and several types of soil amendments including some organic. 

At The Garden Keeper in Marietta, 104 Lakewood Rd, owner Shirley Cole concentrates on wonderful hypertufa containers and garden art. She also carries a small, yet interesting, selection of plants.  

And now, the list. 

A good hand pruner is a must have for every gardener. Three that work well:

Felco pruners - $46 - the most coveted amongst gardeners. felcostore.com; Saboten 1210 - thinning shears- $25 - handy and reliable. amazon.com; Dramm Stainless Steel Compact Pruner - $13 - a good option for women and men with small hands. amazon.com. 

Some not so run-of-the-mill digging tools: 

A Kombi shovel - $32- has serrated edges that help to work around roots and rocks. The tips can break if you are not careful, but even with the broken tips, it's my favorite shovel. kombigardentool.com; The Kombi trowel - $8 – is also highly recommended. kombigardentool.com; Ho-Mi cultivator - $18 - a Korean hand hoe. It is designed ergonomically to keep your arm and wrist from being overworked. cooksgarden.com.  

Harvesting baskets have a myriad of uses in the garden. Here are two favorites:

Garden hod - $42 –cooksgarden.com; Garden trug – Sm. $13, Med. $17, Lg. $25 - made from 100% recycled polyethylene. kinsmangarden.com. 

Garden art adds flavor to the garden:

Plant labels/tags – handcrafted.  etsy.com

Local artists:

Christina Sibley – (deceased) her works are highly collectable.

Carlos Montano – has a shop in Fairburn.

Mary Braswell – found at The Garden Keeper.  

The Ordinary - but still loved:

Flat of flowers – installed, even better.

Containers – all are wonderful.

Gift certificates were the most requested item in this category. 

Gift certificates from:

Catalogs – Lee Valley, Gardeners Supply, Cooks Garden, Kinsman Garden, Jackson and Perkins.

Local nurseries – Ladyslipper Nursery, Autumn Hill Nursery, Lost Mtn. Nursery, Habersham Gardens, Buck Jones Nursery, Pikes, Lowes, Home Depot.

Bookstores - Barnes and Noble, Borders, Amazon. 

The Not So Ordinary – well loved and appreciated - but hard to wrap:

A truck load of compost, organic soil, or manure. Bags of mushroom compost, Permatill, manure, Farmer D's biodynamic compost (found at Whole Foods stores).

Fertilizers:

Neptune Harvest - fish/seaweed emulsion (pretty smelly); Espoma – any variety that suits your gardener's needs (a little smelly); Osmocote – time released (a tad smelly).  

For the budget conscious:  

No budget:

Old wheelbarrow – metal – to use for planting; Found objects - for garden; Installation help – water feature, planting, building arbor, spreading mulch, etc. 

$50 or less:

Gloves – cloth, latex, or hide. Big Lots has cloth ones for $1.99. A gardener can never have too many pairs; Hand Lotions and Soaps - for gardeners - crabtree-evelyn.com; Hand decorated pot or stepping stone - by kids or grandkids; Garden magazine/subscription – Fine Gardening; Tool sharpener – Felco; Kitchen Composter – for kitchen countertop; Plant stakes; Rain gauge.

$50 - $150:

Backpack sprayer; Can O Worms – vermin-composter; Composter – outdoor; Tree pruners - Fiskars 12' Telescoping Pole Pruner (with Power Stroke ropeless cutting action and a saw attachment) Model # 92406936.  $95.00. Quoth the gardener, "This guy will slice thru a 2" limb as if it was butter." 

$150 and up:

Tillers – Honda, Mantis, etc. – for garden beds; Wood/leaf chipper – create compost to use as mulch; Hardscaping – paths, rocks, patio; Backpack blower; Water feature 

Garden gifts are like good friends…you're always glad to have them.