During this time of year, people go shopping for gifts that they frequently don’t know much about and may not even be sure the recipient will like.
Consider gardeners as an example.
They typically have a wide range of needs, wants, and likes that are always running low, but if you don’t know what they are, good luck (unless the gardener has made a wish list).
We invited Penn State Master Gardeners in Cumberland, Dauphin, and Lancaster counties to provide their opinions on the best gardening present they had ever received in order to help solve this December conundrum. (Note: Penn State University and its Master Gardener program do not condone these; they are personal choices.)
What they said was as follows:
Soil knife, often known as a garden knife
This multipurpose hand tool was selected as the favorite garden present by no fewer than eight MGs (plus Lancaster County MG organizer Christa Shoreman).
The item is a heavy-duty, robust knife with a serrated edge that fits in a leather holster that is worn on the hip.
According to Lancaster County MG George Dillio, it’s the ideal multipurpose tool for weeding, digging, cutting, and pointing. He also believes that you look amazing when you carry it in a holster.
MG Lancaster County According to Lori Zimmerman, the Hori Hori brand is the finest at pulling weeds.
MG Cumberland County Patti Coolsen claims that her favorite tool for weeding, cutting little roots, excavating tiny holes, and planting bulbs and other plants is her Hori Hori knife. I’m not sure how I managed to plant without one.
And the MG of Dauphin County According to Elaine Smith, the knife has saved her clay soil. It can break up hard dirt, digs nicely, has inch marks, and a serrated side for cutting. It’s my new best friend. (Expense: $30 to $35)
Patti Coolsen displays her kneeler bench and her garden knife.Thanks to Patti Coolsen
A bench with kneeling
This portable combo bench and padded kneeler was named a favorite by two MGs.
“I can use it as a seat for a variety of gardening tasks, and if I turn it over, it can be used as a kneeler,” Coolsen explains. In order to save my back and my aching old knees, it also features handles that allow me to push myself up from a kneeling posture. Additionally, it keeps tiny tools in the seat.
After having back surgery, which is a major setback for any gardener, Dauphin County MG Donna Wheeler says her kneeling bench was quite beneficial.
She claims that gardening has become more pleasurable and less painful after using this gift from her partner. In addition, I simply flip it over and sit down whenever I need to rest. ($25 to $50, based on style)
Professionals and Master Gardeners appear to choose Felco 7 pruners.Thanks to Pam Wenner
Felco 7 pruners
This specific brand of high-end pruners, which many landscaping experts rave about, was also suggested by two MGs.
MG Cumberland County According to Pam Wenner, the ergonomic handle on her Felco 7s rotates, making cutting simpler. They sharpen well, and if you need parts, you may buy them. These are lifelong, heavy-duty pruners for big hands.
To help consumers order the correct size, the company even offers an online hand-sizing tool, including variants designed especially for left-handers, she continues. ($78–$95)
Andrea Collins received these vintage garden snippets as a present from a friend.Collins, Andrea
Garden snippets from the past
A pair of elegant, vintage garden scissors or snips with broad finger holes are another cutting instrument that has become Lancaster County MG Andrea Collins’ favorite garden present.
She claims that a friend bought them for her from a Parisian antique store. I cut flowers and herbs with them every day during the summer, and I like to consider how many gardeners used them before me.
With comparable styles available in catalogs like Kinsman (Garden Cut Scissors for $23), A.M. Leonard’s Garden Edge (Stainless-Steel Hand Shears for $20), Gardener’s Supply (Japanese Pruning Scissors for $30), and Johnny’s Selected Seeds (Garden Scissors for $30), gift-givers can save a trip to Paris, minus the sentimental value. Or look for floral scissors or garden scissors.
The robust Spear Head spade with its tapered blade and foot platform appeals to Clyde Forbes.Thanks to Clyde Forbes
Spade with Spear Head
MG Cumberland County The new Spear Head Spade, which Clyde Forbes likes, is a long-handled tool with a digging blade that tapers further toward a point than ordinary spades.
Forbes claims that this shovel is excellent for both cutting through sod and edging.
The half-inch fold-over steel edge where you dig with your foot is another feature he like.
According to Forbes, it’s undoubtedly easier on the foot. Additionally, it features a fiberglass handle, which reduces the likelihood of it breaking like I have experienced with a standard wood handle.
Gardener arms are shielded from thorns and other sharp objects by these sleeves that can withstand punctures.Zimmerman, Lori
Sleeves for Farmers’ Defense
After gardening for a day, Lancaster County MG Lori Zimmerman says she tends to look like she’s done a few rounds with her roses.
Zimmerman’s husband discovered Farmers Defense, a line of protective slip-on arm sleeves, to stop the bloodshed in the rose garden. sleeves that are impervious to thorns.
“I adore them,” she declares. They are stationary and light.
They are also available in a wide range of hues and designs. ($27)
In the garden, Luci Steele has been using this foldable bag for years.Thanks to Luci Steele
Fiskars Garden Bag with Collapsible Kangaroo Design
Lancaster County MG Luci Steele gives this gift a high rating if you evaluate gifts based on how much they are utilized.
Steele claims that every time she trims and pulls weeds in the garden, she utilizes her enormous Fiskars Kangaroo Collapsible Garden Bag.
According to my wonderful sister, this gift has endured for decades. It is lightweight, strong, and folds up for convenient storage.
There are two sizes of the tan-and-green bag: 10 gallons costs approximately $15, and 30 gallons costs between $23 and $31.
A vehicle garden kit
This is a concept that you can come up with on your own.
Anya Peters, a Lancaster County MG-in-training, refers to it as a “garden kit” for the vehicle. Her husband purchased her a loaded tool bucket especially for the vehicle.
According to Peters, it’s been fantastic because I frequently leave my gardening supplies at home. I now have some gallon baggies, a little shovel, an all-purpose knife, and a small bucket with gloves.
Depending on how elaborate you want to get, the price, style, and items can change.
Books about gardening typically make thoughtful presents. According to Peter Brunski, “The Nature of Oaks” is his favorite.The Timber Press
The book The Nature of Oaks
If you know enough about the recipient to choose anything within their purview (vegetable growing, design inspiration, etc.), you won’t go too wrong giving a gardening book. gardening and taking in the scenery?
MG Cumberland County Doug Tallamy’s 2021 book, The Nature of Oaks (Timber Press, $28 hardcover), is named by Peter Brunski as his favorite garden gift.
According to Brunski, the book’s narrative on the life cycle of oak trees and their advantages for animals is what I enjoy most about it. Tallamy’s listing of oak tree species and their native habitats is another feature I appreciate.
This greenhouse was created for Linda Johnson by her husband and is her favorite gardening gift.Linda Johnson
A greenhouse
A full-sized greenhouse is a gardener’s dream come true, so it’s no surprise that Dauphin County MG Linda Johnson considers hers to be her best present ever.
“My husband, Greg, bought and constructed a 13-by-24-foot greenhouse for me as a 25th wedding anniversary present,” Johnson adds. Owning a greenhouse was something I had always wanted to do, and Greg made it happen. Even after eleven years, this remains my favorite spot to hang out!
The twin-wall polycarbonate kit from FarmTek that was used to construct the Johnsons heated greenhouse included all the necessary components. It also has water and electricity.
But, other husbands, you’d better get busy right away because it took six months to finish.
A collection of high-end fertilizers
Although I’m not an MG, I can tell you that my brother told me my gardening gift was outside the back door one Christmas, and that’s when it stands out in my memory the most.
When I saw a large sack of cow excrement with a bow attached, I immediately understood why.
A bag of cow excrement may seem like an offensive gift to most people, but to a gardener, it was practical, considerate, and suitable, and it also made them grin.
The following Christmas, my wife and I went above and beyond by giving our gardening kid a sophisticated assortment of designer manure, which included worm castings, bat guano, and a bag of Hoffman Super Manure that was elegantly presented in an old chamber pot.
Gardening with George Weigel
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