Planning Ahead: What Gardeners Really Want for the Holidays

I’m not one of those people who begin Christmas shopping in August. The last thing that occupies my thoughts while the pool is still open and the zinnias are blooming is shopping for the holidays.

Fast forward to November.  The first week of November found me in the OR at getting an entirely new right shoulder.  After a few weeks of recovering at home, I was going a little stir crazy and thought getting a jump-start on my holiday shopping was in order. 

Since I am still in a sling and unable to drive, George was more than happy to take a field trip to the botanical garden and check out what’s new for the holiday season at the Garden Gate Shop. 

Let me give you a run-down about what gardeners really want for Christmas and Hanukkah.

The gift sure to please a gardener of any age, sex or degree of expertise is the Missouri Botanical Garden’s annual calendar.  The photos are stunning, it can be wrapped with ease, and it’s on sale for a mere $10.  Every month is another gorgeous photo of the most beautiful gardens in the world. 

Think about how many people you can cross off your list with the calendar: the mailman, your next-door neighbor, your hairdresser or your friend Bruce, who lives in Portland and still misses the garden.  You get the picture.  Buy a bunch and save yourself some cash and stress.

What suggestions do men give for the holidays?  George says that wind chimes make a great gift for nearly everyone.  Of course, if the gift’s recipient is hard of hearing, you’ll need to find something else. 

Whether you’re a condo dweller or own acres of land, wind chimes fit the bill.  They come in boxes, making them easy to wrap and the selection at the Garden Gate Shop doesn’t disappoint.  You’ll find copper, wood, steel or capiz shell chimes.  

Got a friend who is into yoga? You’ll find chimes that have the silhouette of a woman in a yoga position on one side of the striker and the symbol for “OM” in Buddhist on the other.  The wind chimes are available in numerous sizes and prices.  There’s a huge variety and one for every budget.

Another great gift suggestion is orchids.  You’ll find Phalaenopsis, Cattleya, Dendrobium, Oncidium and my favorite, the Lady Slipper.  If you want to “WOW” a gardening friend with a gift, you’ll find lots and lots of them at the Garden Gate Shop. 

If the recipient is a beginning gardener, I would suggest a Phalaenopsis.  They’re amazingly easy to care for and bloom for months and months at a time.  More advanced gardeners would appreciate unusual orchids in unusual colors.  The day we visited the selection was overwhelming and impressive. 

You can also get potting bark, wood slat planters, clay pots with holes for root development and fertilizer specifically for orchids.   You can find orchids for as little as $6 on the sale table, to well over $50 for a blooming specimen.  A word to the wise:  don’t repot an orchid that is in bloom.  The trauma will cause the blooms to wither and die. 

George and I were mesmerized with the selection of “Air Plants” that they have at the garden.  They are small plants that are displayed on a large, leafless tree.  The air plants range in price from a few dollars to about $12. 

Their care is minimal; they don’t need to be potted or pruned and are at home sitting on your desk in the office or on the windowsill of your kitchen.  They’re so amusing; some have really curly leaves while others have very straight foliage. Any young children on your list would LOVE an air plant.  I purchased a tiny one that was a magnet.  It came mounted on a small piece of bark and looks comical on my refrigerator.  It just makes me laugh!

If you have a friend who is a bookworm and budding gardener, why not peruse the books at the shop?  You’ll find books that delve into all aspects of gardening.  You can choose organic gardening, vegetable gardening, succulents, orchids, garden design and so on.  You get the picture.

You’ll find books on virtually every topic surrounding gardening and garden design at the Garden Gate Shop.  One of my favorites is called “Poolscaping.”  It’s by Catriona Erler and deals specifically with landscaping around your swimming pool. 

If I win the lottery, I plan to install an infinity edge pool, complete with fountains and lots of doo-dads.  The book takes you away to places where pools are unusual, beautiful and envy-worthy.  It’s $20 and worth every penny to those of us who like to dream big, poolwise.

Why not put together a basket of fun garden tools and accessories for your favorite gardening gal or guy?   The Garden Gate Shop has everything you’ll need to fill it up. 

Felco is the first choice, hands-down, for garden pruners.  They’re not cheap, but you’ll have them your whole life.  If the blade breaks, you can replace it.  You can even purchase a leather sheath for them so they’re always at the ready.  Felco pruners about $45, but (unless you lose them) they’ll be the last set of pruners you’ll ever need to buy.

I also found some metal garden stakes.  It’s kind of tacky, but George loves to leave tags on all of his new trees and shrubs.  The stakes are a much nicer way in which to remember the botanical names of those new additions to your garden.  They come with a pen and you can label all your plants to your hearts content.  I thought they were a good buy at $10 for 10 stakes.  Someone I know just might be getting those for Christmas!

Who doesn’t love feeding and watching the birds?  Why not give a gift that has the recipient looking out the window, even in winter, at something beautiful?  Cardinals, Chickadees, Nuthatches and more will visit feeders in our area and the Garden Gate Shop has a multitude of them.  But, why stop there? 

They also have some of the most unusual (in a good way!) birdhouses that I’ve seen in a really long time. For a cat lover, there’s a great birdhouse shaped like a cat.  Love to watch hummingbirds?  You can purchase a birdhouse in the shape of a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird.  Prices for these creative beauties range from $35 to $45.  

I guarantee they’ll make you smile each time you look out the window!

In closing, I’ve saved the best gift for last- a gift of the garden.  A thoughtful gift would be a yearly membership to Missouri Botanical Garden.  Memberships range from $60 to $10,000 and come with many benefits. 

Admission to The Butterfly House and Shaw Nature Reserve are free with your yearly admission.  Tram passes and a “welcome aboard” gift are included as well.  Not only do you open the world of the botanical garden to the recipient, your gift supports the garden.  By shopping there, you’re keeping your dollars in St. Louis and benefiting a horticultural jewel- it’s truly a win-win situation.