You probably know someone who took up gardening during the coronavirus pandemic. Actually, you probably know a lot of people who did.
Since social distancing is expected to continue into spring, why not get your favorite gardeners something they’ll be able to use?
Sheri Dorn, an ornamental specialist with University of Georgia’s Cooperative Extension and a state Master Gardener coordinator in the department of horticulture at the UGA-Griffin campus, has some ideas.
Gloves
“All gardeners everywhere need a really good pair of gloves,” Dorn wrote, “and not all gloves are created equally. The best gloves are lightweight and supple leather.”
Gloves are great for protecting hands from splinters, thorns and anything else sharp or abrasive. If you know someone who tends roses, consider long gloves to protect their arms, too.
Pruning shears
New gardeners often don’t invest in high-quality tools because they aren’t sure they’ll take to their new hobby.
As a result, Dorn wrote, they “may be struggling with the inexpensive shears they bought this spring.”
Consider sturdy, sharp shears of differing sizes, such as a needle-nosed pair for snipping perennials and annuals, or a good set of bypass pruners that will do a great job on small twigs and those nips and tucks needed for shrubs. For the ambitious gardener, Dorn wrote, a new set of loppers or a pole saw for cleaning up small branches in trees may be welcome.
Garden fork
A short-handled, three-tined garden fork with a round handle comes in handy for many gardening tasks, including loosening weeds at their roots, turning over garden soil in beds and fluffing mulch.
Wheelbarrow
All gardeners need a wheelbarrow of some type, Dorn wrote. If the gardener on your list has limited storage, there are collapsible canvas garden carts that will store in small spaces.
Gardening resource
Gardeners often need a good gardening reference. The “Georgia Master Gardener Handbook” can be ordered with a 50% discount code (Holiday50) at UGAExtensionStore.com.
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