Hello friends!
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Mine was small — just my husband, daughter and me, but I still cooked and baked up a storm because it wouldn’t have felt like a holiday otherwise.
I’m here a couple of days early this week because, if you’re anything like me, you’re probably thinking about holiday gifts this weekend.
I put a lot of thought into products I recommend to you every year. Ordinarily, I attend several gift fairs (all-day events, typically at NYC hotels and convention centers) and fun “speed pitch” events, usually over summer, during which gardening journalists like myself sit at individual tables while a roster of well-curated brand representatives visit, one at a time, with 5 minutes to demonstrate their products before a buzzer goes off and they rotate to the next table. It’s actually a lot of fun, and I always come away with a handful of unique products to tell you about (and add to my own Christmas list!)
This year is a bit different, obviously, because all those in-person events were canceled. So I’ve spent several months researching and trying out items that are (mostly) new to the home and garden market, and put a lot of thought into their quality and whether folks would actually want to receive them as gifts in December (a new garden hoe, however useful, somehow doesn’t go over very well when it’s snowing.)
So these are my favorite garden-themed products of the year. In full disclosure, I want you to know that this year I’ve joined a few affiliate programs, so some of the links below will pay me a small commission for purchases made through them. But I also want you to know that I didn’t (and never would) recommend any item simply in order to make a few bucks. I would never compromise your trust in me.
Rest assured, I scrutinized every product and decided which to recommend to you without knowing which companies were participants. After my list was finalized, I checked for program availability to help offset the costs of delivering this free newsletter to you and host my website. In the end, a couple of my favorite products weren’t part of an affiliate program, which is fine because my first mission here is to give you quality recommendations. Of course, those are included here as well. I just ask that if you do purchase any of these products, you use the links below (and forward to your friends), because that will help keep this newsletter free.
And now, on to what I consider the best gardening gifts of 2020.
Felco pruners
Always at the top of my list of items every gardener should have is a pair of Felco pruners. There are two main types of pruners — anvil and bypass. I only recommend bypass pruners, which are designed like scissors and make nice clean cuts. Anvil pruners, on the other hand, have a single blade that closes against a stationary anvil, just like a knife against a cutting board, crushing the branch or twig that you’re attempting to cut. When you prune live plant material, you’re performing surgery on the plant. Would you want a surgeon to make a nice clean cut into, say, your arm, with a scalpel — or to crush it against a flat surface? Healing is quicker and has less complications when a proper cut is made.
Felco pruners are made in Switzerland, come in several versions and sizes to fit different-sized hands (I use model #6), including left-handed models, and there are even ones with rotating handles (not my cup of tea, personally, but some of my friends prefer them.) They’re strong, adjustable and shock-absorbing for super comfort, so you can prune longer. I also like the red handle, which makes them easy to find in a pile of leaves or clipped plant debris, should you put them down, which I always do. All parts — blades, screws, etc. — are replaceable.
Look for these models:
#2 is the original, suitable for large right hands.
#6 is my personal preference; it’s compact with a very comfortable handle, suitable for all sizes of right hands.
#16 is the left-handed version of #6.
#12 has a rotating handle, for any size right hands.
#17 has a rotating handle, for any size left hands.
Felco pruners are pricier than other brands, but will likely be the last pruners you ever buy. I’ve had mine since 2007, and have a friend whose pair is nearly 30 years old. I do worry about counterfeits with these, however you can buy them from this trusted seller on Amazon here. It’s where I got mine.
Click & Grow Smart Garden
I love my Click and Grow 9 — it’s a self-watering growing system that uses low-wattage LED lighting and high-tech soil capsules (similar to Nespresso or Keurig pods) to grow nine herb, fruit, vegetable and/or flowering plants indoors year-round. The soil formula releases nutrients and oxygen to roots as needed during every phase of plant growth, and the biodegradable seed capsule choices include dozens of non-GMO plants (the included starter set for this model includes three miniature varieties each of tomato, basil, and lettuce.) You can purchase additional capsules as needed or by subscription. I use the seedless “experimental” ones to start my own seeds in spring and then transplant them into the garden. There’s also a free companion app that provides growing advice. A smaller model, Click and Grow 3, grows three plants at a time. They’re both on sale right now for 30% off at clickandgrow.com.
Showa Atlas nitrile gardening gloves
I have gardening gloves everywhere — in the kitchen, mudroom, garage, shed, even in my car. Some are simple, others fancy, but my very favorites are the cheap-and-dirty Atlas NT370s. They fit like a second skin so you can feel what you’re doing and they never get in the way, but they’re strong enough not to tear or puncture while performing routine tasks. I don’t recommend them for rose pruning — for that, you should have an elbow-high pair, preferably with a leather palm and fingers — but for everyday pruning, deadheading and weeding, you cannot beat these.
Their nitrile coating provides a good grip, keeps my hands clean and dry, and protects against prickles (again, not thorns). I even keep a pair in the kitchen (they make easy work of unscrewing tight jar lids!) And they’re machine-washable.
Multipacks contain assorted colors, with prices averaging $3-$4 a pair; select your size to shop: Small, Medium or Large.
Duncraft selective nyjer bird feeder
Small songbirds flock to this selective bird feeder, which has a locking overhanging roof and metal outer cage, both of which make it harder for larger birds and squirrels to access seeds. Made by Duncraft in Concord, NH, this feeder’s roof keeps seeds dry, which is important to avoid sickness-inducing mold and bacteria. Fill it with 1 1/2 pounds of Nyjer seed (from the African yellow daisy, Guizotia abyssinica) and wait for your feathered friends to visit. 10-1/2 x 15-1/2 inches tall. Currently on sale for $59.95 at Duncraft.com.
Faceted glass house plant watering gift set
I first realized the value of watering globes while staying at a houseplant-filled vacation rental a few years back, where every plant pot contained one. “Genius,” I thought, acknowledging that the owner had thought to provide for his plants in his absence. This set, which also includes a hand-pumped mister, is more than just functional; its faceted glass (available only in blue, currently) is adorned with a beautiful pattern that imparts a decorative flair.
Fill the 12-ounce watering globe with water and insert its terracotta spike into the pot. Water will gradually leech into soil as needed, keeping plants happy in your absence. It will keep plants happy in your presence, too, should you be home but forget to water during busy times. And the included mister is a must for humidity-loving plants such as Boston fern, Chinese evergreen, orchids and begonias, especially over winter, when indoor air quality tends to be dry. The set is $24.95 at Plow & Hearth.
Maze terrarium
I really like how this STEM-based kit introduces kids to botany and allows them to experiment as they design and build a planting maze themselves, deciding how they want plants to grow through paths in the maze.
The kit includes the maze planter, which has a clear base, so growing roots are visible, a pair of tweezers, a dropper, mini shovel, cultivating dish, magnifying glass and marker. Soil and seeds are not included. It retails for $39.99 but is on sale at Walmart for $13.99.
2021 day-by-day gardening calendar - Save 19%
As subscribers of this newsletter, you’re likely familiar with my new garden calendar, which is actually a gardening and plant-care guidebook in calendar’s clothing. Every daily box contains a little nudge from me to you: a timely chore or tip to keep your garden on track all year long. And if you buy any quantity from today through Monday, I’ll take 19% off to bring the $24.95 retail price of my 2021 calendar down to a very appropriate $20.21. Get my “Green Friday” price through Monday at jessicadamiano.com
Giveaway time!
What’s not to love about these hand-crafted, glass-blown Old World Christmas ornaments? They’re old-timey and garden-themed! Share this newsletter with a friend, then let me know. When your friend subscribes to The Weekly Dirt, you both will be entered in a random drawing to receive one of these as a holiday gift — from me to you. No tree? No problem! These would be pretty hanging near a window year-round.
To qualify, share this email by clicking the field below, then provide your information by clicking here.
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