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| Felco pruners provide unmatched quality and durability--and with replaceable parts, they're the last pruner you'll ever have to buy! |
The Christmas season is well underway: lights are up, Christmas
music fills the radio waves and December calendars are packed with parties and
family get-togethers. While gardening may not be foremost in your mind this
month, there are plenty of gift-worthy items you’ll find at Vander Giessen's that you can give to your favorite gardener—or add to your own wishlist—this
Christmas season.
For most gardeners, one of the most-used tools they rely on is
a hand pruner. Whether cutting back hydrangeas, picking bouquets of roses or trimming
a Japanese maple, I always use a Felco pruner. No, they’re not cheap, but you
get what you pay for, and since every part of the pruner can be replaced if
needed, a good Felco may be the last pruner you ever have to buy. With several
models available for different hand sizes and needs, let us
help you pick out the right pruner for your loved one.
Another great pruner (really more of a garden snips) I’ve
fallen in love with over the last year is the aptly-named Deadheads. These
diminutive pruners fit in the palm of your hand, allowing you to easily snip
off spent flowers or pick fresh herbs and produce. Whether to add to your own collection
of garden tools or fill a stocking, Deadheads are a great, inexpensive gift
idea.
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| Deadheads garden snips are a great stocking stuffer. |
If you have kids or grandkids that regularly “help” with
tasks around the house (as a parent of a three-year-old, I use the word “help”
very generously!), you know the value of them having their own tools to use.
This Christmas, consider giving your little helper a set of colorful kid-sized
garden tools and their own brightly-hued garden gloves. Not only will they be
thrilled to have something of their own, you might actually get some assistance
pulling weeds next spring!
Finally, one of my favorite tools to use around the garden
this year has been a humble but versatile garden bucket. Superior to any
ordinary five-gallon bucket, a garden bucket is lightweight with flexible sides
and ergonomic built-in handles—the perfect combination of utility and comfort.
I know, it’s a bucket, but try one and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without
it.
Now, whatever the occasion, a thoughtful and well-meaning
person might give you a poinsettia or blooming Christmas cactus this month.
Green thumbs notwithstanding, I’ve heard too many stories from customers about
how they somehow seem to kill their Christmas plants every year.
If you look outside, you won’t see too many poinsettias or
Christmas cactuses growing in your flowerbeds or by the roadside. In fact, you
won’t see any; they’re native to warmer, drier climates, and as such, thrive in
relatively warm, dry environments. The most common way I hear of poinsettias
meeting their demise is with too much water—and the same goes for Christmas
cactuses.
If you receive a poinsettia this year, you shouldn’t need to
water more than two or three times a week. When you do, take it out of its
decorative sleeve and set it in a saucer or directly in the kitchen sink. After
you’ve watered it, let it set for a few minutes before returning it to its wrapper
to allow any extra water to drain out. For Christmas cactuses, water even less
often, allowing the soil to dry before watering again. Should you succeed in
keeping your plant alive, only increase the quantity and regularity of water
you give it when new growth begins to show next spring.
May you enjoy all this season has to offer. From my family
to yours, have a blessed Christmas!
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