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Connecticut Garden Journal
Connecticut Garden Journal is a weekly program hosted by horticulturalist Charlie Nardozzi. Each week, Charlie focuses on a topic relevant to both new and experienced gardeners, including pruning lilac bushes, growing blight-free tomatoes, groundcovers, sunflowers, bulbs, pests, and more.

Connecticut Garden Journal: Gardener's Gifts

tree2mydoor (Flickr / Creative Commons)

It’s getting down to the wire for gift-giving this holiday season. One of the people you might still be shopping for may be the gardener in the family. Gardeners can be a bit particular about the tools, supplies and seeds they use. So, let me give you a few ideas for your favorite gardener.

We all know that gardeners have favorite tools. For example, I love the Cobra hoe for pulling out deep-rooted weeds such as dandelions. So, instead of trying to guess what hand tool your favorite gardener will like, think in terms of carrying the tools to the garden. I like tool totes or the Cross Body Tool Carrier that wraps around your shoulder. They carry not only hand tools, but also pruners, twine, markers, seeds and other small items for the garden.

It’s always hard to find garden gloves that are rugged, yet flexible enough to pick up seeds and small objects. I like the Nitrile glove line for both. These gloves fit like a second skin, but they wear like leather.

If your favorite gardeners like to start seeds indoors in winter, then consider getting them all the fixings for seed starting. Select pots, potting soil, plant labels, markers and an assortment of seeds. Gardeners always like a challenge, and offering some unusual seeds to start indoors such as an exotic eggplant or hot pepper variety might be fun!

Finally, the best gift may be yourself. Offer to help pot up plants, move compost or mulch or do a day of weeding in the summer with them. Hopefully, by then we’ll all be able to garden together again.

Charlie Nardozzi is a regional Emmy® Award winning garden writer, speaker, radio, and television personality. He has worked for more than 30 years bringing expert information to home gardeners.

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