Garden center shopping
I know a woman who left her husband after he gave her new
30-gallon trash cans for Christmas when she was expecting diamond
earrings. And while this sounds a bit extreme, there are good
things to be found for gift givers in the garden center and, yes,
the home improvement area as well.
Garden center shopping
I know a woman who left her husband after he gave her new 30-gallon trash cans for Christmas when she was expecting diamond earrings. And while this sounds a bit extreme, there are good things to be found for gift givers in the garden center and, yes, the home improvement area as well.
The trick to buying at the garden center is to know your giftee and that person’s taste and interest.
Flowering plants are always a good bet. For starters holiday plants like poinsettias plants are usually less expensive at the garden center than anywhere else. I spotted good size poinsettia plants in the $4 to $6 range, in the trendy colors of pink, white, marbled, and of course red. Blooming cyclamens, African violets and Christmas cactus are just some of the offerings in the $10 or less range.
I consider orchids the queen of the holiday plants. They appear more amazing than ever, thanks to an assortment of California growers who bring orchids into bloom in time for gift giving. Orchids look exotic, but are surprisingly easy to grow. I spotted phalaenopsis, paphiopedilum, cymbidium and cattleya in bloom in the $20 to $25 range. The price goes up according to the number of blooms on a branch.
On the nursery shelves you can find a number of interesting gifts ranging from living evergreen trees to the new bareroot roses that arrive just before Christmas in time for bareroot rose planting in January.
For people who have given up on Christmas trees – cut, living or artificial – take a closer look at the Norfolk Island palm tree. With its evenly spaced green branches, it can be decorated as a Christmas tree but will stand duty as an easy-to-grow houseplant for many years. It can be planted outdoors, but a heavy frost will do it in.
Some kinds of garden tools can become holiday gifts and will be eagerly appreciated. A quality spading fork, an easy-to handle hoe, or a fine pair of loppers would gladden the heart of most gardeners.
Hand tools seem like a nifty gift, but use a careful eye in making these purchases. With hand tools such as a trowel or hand pruners or a folding hand saw, remember you get what you pay for. Cheap tools are just that – cheap – and their life expectancy is limited. Metal hand tools are best and you can find decent ones for $5 and up for a single metal trowel or hand hoe.
Hand pruners are always welcome, simply because gardeners tend to put down their pruners and then forget where they are. Your choices are bypass or anvil pruners, and that explains how the blades work. Some gardeners love bypass, others swear by anvil. Regardless, a decent hand pruner starts around $10 and Corona’s top model is about $25. Prices vary slightly depending on where you buy.
Does your gardener have a sense of humor? There is a big selection of garden whimsies, metal sculptures, statuary and figures. I was captured by garden whimsies sold as Nerdy Birds and Geek Beeks – metal motion garden decor that look like no birds you’d ever find visiting your bird feeders.
For stocking stuffers or gifts for grandparents from little children, go no further than the seed racks. A packet of seeds costs from $2 to $3. If you have no idea what your person likes to grow, pick up California wildflower seeds, which should have a spot in every yard in San Benito County.
What else is good about shopping at the garden center? Well, there is plenty of parking right by the front door; few shoppers in the aisles and you won’t have to get up at 5 a.m. to hit the early-bird specials.
Just skip the trash cans.
A Reader Wants to Know: Help! Every time it rains, earthworms escape from the wet lawn and crawl onto the sidewalk. When I walk from the car in the dark I hear “crunch, crunch” and I hate stepping on them. Are you aware of any kind of barrier I might use to keep the earthworms off the sidewalk? I know they are valuable and I don’t want to poison them. – Jess
Joan Says: Most people would envy you and your crop of earthworms. They are, indeed, valuable and certainly you do not want to poison them. With snails and slugs you can put down a barrier of a rough material such as small bark or sharp sand and they will not crawl over it. This type of barrier would not bother earthworms. If you used a tiny fence, they would just crawl over it to avoid drowning in your soaked lawn. Copper barriers work with snails and slugs, but earthworms would not suffer a shock from copper.
What is needed is better drainage to you lawn, so that the earthworms don’t need to escape drowning. Aerating the lawn is a first step.
So, in answer to your question: No, I do not know of a barrier that would keep earthworms off your sidewalks. The best I could suggest is to buy a strong flashlight and watch where you are stepping.
