By Karen Alexander, Garden Works
Photographs courtesy of Garden Works
Holiday sales are starting to fill your inbox. Decorations and wrapping paper are already lining the store shelves. If your gift-giving list includes a gardener, what should you look for? All gardeners like a new plant. That’s great only if you live in a climate that stays warm all year. At the holiday season many of us have weather that is not conducive to placing new plants outside. What does every gardener want? As a Georgia Master Gardener, I can say that these are my quality, unique, tried and proven tools that make great gifts.
One of my favorite tools is a Soil Scoop. To me, this is the best all-around tool ever designed because its uses are endless. It replaces most trowels because it has a much larger head than the standard trowel. The serrated edges cut thru roots. The scoop cradles dirt, making a cleaner hole. You can scrape, dig and even open your bag of soil or mulch with it. Planting flats of annuals is a breeze. It digs the perfect size hole. The colored handle makes it easy to find if you happen to leave it out. You can dig for treasures at the beach, even scrape away snow. The fact that it is made in the USA is an added bonus. I have had my Soil Scoop for 10+ years and it is always my go-to tool.
Another tool favorite is the Tiger Trowel. This tool is fierce in the wildest garden. It has a graduated blade to measure soil depth, making it the perfect tool for planting bulbs.The serrated edge can cut back vines, thru roots and pry out rocks. Great for digging on rocky hills. This trowel and a bag of bulbs would be a great gift for any gardener.
There are several tubs or buckets out there, but the Tuff Tote has all the features a gardener needs. The medium size is perfect for getting water out of your rain barrel, repotting small plants, mixing your own special blend of soil and even holding fish while cleaning your pond. I like the dimples on the bottom which helps with gripping when emptying the tote. It is also very flexible for pouring. There are so many uses that you need a couple. It makes a great “gift basket.”
The above gardening items are all made in the United States. I always try to buy local and made-in-the-USA products, because it keeps jobs in the US and supports our economy. Let’s keep our local businesses in business!
These tools are available in local garden centers and hardware stores, or thru Garden Works, a small American-owned company in Florida. Find them at www.GardenWorksUSA.com.
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