CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — 2020 has been a banner year for staying home and enjoying gardening (now there is a positive spin on the pandemic). If anyone in your life is a gardener, we have plenty of ideas to enhance their horticultural experience this Christmas.
Soil delivery
The best gifts are the things you would never buy yourself, like a load of soil. Too many gardeners set themselves up for failure by gardening in inferior soils. Over the years, Mark has brought in dump truck loads of compost and mulch to amend the beds around his home.
A proper sun hat
You might say this is about as sexy as a cubic yard of compost, but summer is getting hotter. For us, the Tilley hat is an indispensable part of our wardrobe in the heat. Now that Ben is a married man, being UV-wise is sexy enough. Tilley is the preferred brand for its outstanding warranty and for being made in Canada to boot. Ben has two – one for working in the garden and one for date night.
Books
If you are a regular reader of this column, you would know that we have our favourites. This is the last time we are going to recommend Nature’s Best Hope, by Doug Tallamy – a very persuasive argument for the importance of native plants in our yards which will change the way you think about gardening. If you are looking for a touching memoir, Birds. Art. Life. by Toronto author Kyo Maclear is a personal story about discovering the joys of birding in the city of Toronto, learning to appreciate the little things against a bigger backdrop.
Perennial plant gift card
After reading Nature’s Best Hope, the gardener in your life might be looking at the garden as a canvas of new possibilities. Native perennial plants are the paint for that canvas – help them colour it in by giving a gift certificate to a native plant nursery. The North American Native Plant Society has a great list of native plant nurseries online here.
A lemon tree
There were two trends that were supercharged in 2020: houseplants and growing food. Taken together? An indoor lemon tree for fresh citrus throughout the year. With enough sunlight and proper fertilizer, you can grow a successful lemon crop indoors – something that the gardener in your life is sure to love.
Pots
One way to spoil a beautiful, flowering houseplant is to place it in an ugly, plastic pot. Upgrade while supporting a local craftsperson and adding something to the home that looks great. This year, the famous One of a Kind Craft Show has moved online, where you might be able to find something unique and well crafted at www.oneofakindshow.com until Dec. 20.
Bird feeder and seed
Dazzle the birdwatcher in your life with a new feeder or a quality seed mix. In winter, Nyjer seed for finches and black oil sunflower seed for cardinals are both great options.
Create something
If you can cut and screw wood, there is no shortage of projects the gardener in your life will appreciate – from benches, trellises and bird nesting boxes to cold frames and raised beds. Raised beds are a low-cost, high-return project for which there are plenty of plans online. The returns are great – less weed pressure, easier access (higher up), earlier spring soil warmth and a tidier look, especially in vegetable gardens.
There is always something you can find to put under the tree for that gardener in your life.
Mark Cullen is an expert gardener, author, broadcaster, tree advocate and member of the Order of Canada. His son, Ben, is a fourth-generation urban gardener and graduate of University of Guelph and Dalhousie University in Halifax. Follow them at markcullen.com, @markcullengardening and on Facebook.
