A holiday shopping list for gardeners

Hilary Groutage Smith
The Salt Lake Tribune

Gardeners are an easy-to-please lot when it comes to gift-giving. Read on, oh spouses, parents, siblings, children and friends of gardeners. If I had a wish list (hint, hint) this would be it:

1. No. 1 costs nothing. Corny as is sounds, I don't know any gardeners who wouldn't be thrilled with an offer of help in the garden. Forget visions of sugar plums, my dreams are filled with handmade coupons good for one free hour of labor. If a couple of them (one from Ian, one from Emily) happened to say: "I will help you build a fence," I will have won the lottery.
2. A wise gardener gave me great advice years ago: Buy a good set of pruners and then hide them. If the gardener in your life has been sharing, splurge on a set that includes nice, sharp hand pruners and then never, ever ask to use them.
3. Muddy Boots Mercantile has a great three-piece tool set with big, easy to grip wooden handles. Their three-tier miniature greenhouse is an easy alternative to building one in the yard. See them at http://www.muddybootsmercantile.com or by calling 828-628-4922.
4. The Diggit company in Seattle makes unique tools. The Diggit Duck caught my eye. It removes grass and weeds with an ice cream scoop-like action. For about $8, any gardener would give it a try. There are no retail outlets for Diggit in Utah, so find them at http://www.diggitinc.com or by calling 425-454-0125.
5. My son and I spent a little too much time at a hotel in Scottsdale, Ariz., one winter. We filled our time with a gigantic, outdoor chess set, which would be a blast at home. The hotel owners bought it in England, but a Canadian company sells something similar at http://www.hotelfun4kids.com.
6. If you are shopping on eBay, take a look at the collection of inexpensive gardening decals. One of them reads "Bloom, damn it!" I can think of a few gardeners who might get a chuckle out of seeing it in print.
7. It's hard not to love Cactus & Tropicals in Salt Lake City. For holiday giving, the new owners, Scott and Karin Pynes, paired with former owner Lorraine Miller for "Gifts from the Garden." The lucky recipient receives a beautiful journal, created by Miller, and a different plant every month, every six months or once a quarter. The journal is full of beautiful gardening quotes, illustrations and space to write your own thoughts. Prices vary; check out http://www.cactusandtropicals.com.