Grower News

Amaryllis bulbs are a fun gift that can be re-bloomed for many years. A reader wonders why this jade plant is blooming beautifully now — especially because it’s never bloomed before over the past two decades. FARGO, N.D. — Have you seen the latest thing in gardening gloves? Each fingertip has a large, curved, plastic claw, so you can dig, rake and plant without any other tools, according to the advertisement. They look a little scary to me, like something a peregrine falcon would wear if it were to take up gardening. Maybe if I had worn gloves more often while gardening, my hands would look nicer, but for now I’ll pass on the claw-tipped gloves. There are other items higher up on my Christmas wish list. Gardeners are easy to buy for. Who else would be tickled to find potting soil under the tree? And if you want to go all out, add a few clay pots to go with it. When choosing gifts, don’t worry that a gardener might already have an item. We’d like a second watering can for the upstairs houseplants. And a second pruning shears is always welcome, which we’ll use until we remember where we set our other one. Gardeners tend to be thrifty, and we don’t always buy ourselves top-shelf items. We’ll appreciate a high-quality gift or tool that’ll last for years. Many new gift ideas for gardeners are introduced each year. One that caught my eye this year is the Seed Keeper, which is a three-ring binder with pockets for saving your garden seed packets. No longer will we wonder what variety we planted the previous year, and there’s also room for notes. Another is the Gardener’s One Line A Day diary, which could make an incredible record of our gardening years. Consider these gifts for houseplant enthusiasts: clay pots; potting mix; drainage saucers; rooting hormone for cuttings; an extra houseplant-type watering can; insecticidal soap; neem oil; systemic houseplant insecticide granules; kits for indoor herbs or microgreens; plant lights; houseplant identification books; small starter-type houseplants; an orchid plant; terrarium supplies; seed […]

Source: www.aberdeennews.com