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The Best Garden Gifts for every Gardener, Young and Old

The Best Garden Gifts for every Gardener, Young and Old

Not everybody is an avid, or even casual, gardener. Nevertheless, that first vernal pulse of growth, of flowers blooming and ferns unfurling, strikes an impulse, one that is common to almost everyone, to bend down and sift a bit of soil through their fingers. It’s almost like the first snowfall of the year—even if you’re not planning on making a snowball, you still have that compulsion to feel and see a flake melt on your fingertip. It’s that kind of passion and care, that impulse to touch and tend growing greens that gets a gardener, and their garden, really going. To keep a garden going, though, requires more than just passion: all plants demand care in return for their growth. While you can’t purchase passion for the gardener in your life, or the one inside yourself, you can supplement the joy of this year’s growing season with a few simple items.

Roots of the Matter

Depending on what you hope to grow, the type of soil in your yard can have a great influence. Regarding the lower soil strata in your garden, there’s not too much you can do to alter them in the short-term. In the long-term, however, coniferous droppings, or using fertilizer, will increase the acidity of your soil; detritus from bonfires or barbecues, such as ash, will increase the soil’s alkalinity. Typically, garden plants and fruit-yielding plants thrive in neutral or slightly acidic soil. Reckoning a soil’s Ph is simple— just plant a hydrangea: depending on the soil Ph, a hydrangea’s flowers will bloom reddish-pink (acidic) blueish-purple (alkaline), or creamy-white (neutral).

Regardless of the plot’s baseline Ph, you can always maintain some level of control by purchasing a rich and variously nutrient top-soil. Also, bear in mind that what some home-improvement stores and nurseries label as “garden-soil”, and often charge a premium on, is often the same as basic top-soil.

As good as it may feel to crumble clods and sift silt between your fingers, you’re also likely to get a few nicks as you work among thorny stems and stubborn roots. It’s always a good idea to make sure your hands remain well-protected with a pair of gloves.

No Yard, No Worries

Having a garden doesn’t mean being confined to having a whole yard, or even an outdoor space. If you or a friend live in an apartment but still want to tend plants, there are a few nifty items that can help out. In particular, there is the Water Blossom®. This unique tool is designed to supply your plants—from petit succulents to thriving tomato vines—with a supply of water that penetrates deep into the soil to where the plant needs it most—the roots. This tool is especially handy for more finicky species that need a lot of water, and for any plant that struggles to grow a root depth deep enough to hold it up (I’m looking at you, tomatoes). Designed to accord with the natural beauty of your garden, the Water Blossom® is useful to anyone, novice or adept, who is hoping to enjoy the growing season this year.

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