In The Garden
Friday, December 21, 2001
|
Gardeners, Dig it Gardeners are a persnickety lot, and it takes thought and planning to find the perfect Christmas gifts for them. As we launch into the last-minute gift-buying frenzy, here are some ideas to help you map out a strategy.
Desperate to find a last-minute
gift for your green-thumbed friend?
Here are some suggestions>> Gardeners love unusual plants. Most of the plants you see in shops come from commercial growers and selections tend to be similar. Star Garden Supply (973-1688 Moiliili store, 233-1588 Kaneohe store) and Wally's Garden Center (947-2663) are known for unique and hard-to-find old-fashioned plants because their shelves are also stocked with hobbyist offerings. Both stores have built reputations for a wide array of home-grown orchids. Keep in mind, though, that the pickings are getting slim about this time.
>> Poinsettia is the plant of the season and this year the shops are carrying many exotic varieties, like the crinkly Carousel or the curled Winter Rose. The problem with poinsettia is it looks great but only for this season. Getting it to bloom next year will be a tricky adventure; most likely your gardener friend will be stuck with a sickly looking plant. Try a combination pot, such as the "ivy-settia" from Star Garden for $19.99, as a lasting gift. The poinsettia in the center of the pot can be tossed when it begins to wither but the ring of ivy topiary will continue to thrive as a handsome indoor plant.
Star Garden and most other garden shops carry variations of the poinsettia combination pot for about the same price. There are the "fern-settia" and "mum-settia." The "mum-settia" planted with red poinsettia and white spider mums is particularly striking, if you can find it.
|
>> Plant gifts don't have to come in pots. Michael Miyashiro of Rainforest (591-9999), a specialty florist at Ward Warehouse, makes spectacular living wreaths with orchids, succulents and other small plants. These are custom-made gifts, allowing you to select the plants and the prices. The wreaths begin at about $150. Miyashiro also offers flower arrangements, such as proteas and winter greens in a reindeer basket for $20.>> There is no such thing as too many gardening tools, nor tools that are too expensive. The Garden House (596-2117) at Piikoi and Beretania streets is a bastion of gardening equipment. A Japanese-made steel hand pruner -- commonly called mulberry shears -- is a sought-after item despite the hefty price of $103. (By the way, when we checked yesterday, there were only four left.) The store is having a holiday sale on a Maruyama string trimmer/brush cutter, which is built for commercial use but good for the serious gardener with big chores. The trimmer, regularly priced at $499, is on sale for $329.
There are perfectly good tools for less also. Try Lyon Arboretum's gift shop (988-0456) in Manoa for a variety of fine gardening tools. A popular tool is a folding stainless steel hand shovel in its own case, $21.95. Another popular choice is the Cape-Cod weeder, usually available through mainland catalogs, for $30.50.
|
The gift shop also is a good source of small garden-themed gifts. There is a line of garden ornaments -- colorful metal stakes in the shape of dragonflies, butterflies and ladybugs -- for $5 and $9.>> Gardeners can always use fertilizers. OK, they are not sexy gifts but they are practical. Wally's Garden Center carries organic fertilizers by Whitney Farms in Oregon. A 1.5-pound box of bat guano -- that's bat manure, in case you didn't know -- goes for $6.75. If your gardener friend doesn't care about using all-natural products, at least the bat guano is good for conversation.
>> Gardeners can't do without books. A new release this year, "Plants for Tropical Landscapes: A Gardener's Guide" is an excellent reference for Hawaii. The book, by Fred D. Rauch, emeritus professor of horticulture at the University of Hawai'i, and Paul R. Weissich, retired director of Honolulu Botanical Gardens, is available in bookstores and garden shops for about $40.
Two earlier releases also are excellent references for Hawaiian gardens: "A Native Hawaiian Garden: How to Grow and Care for Island Plants" by John L. Culliney and Bruce P. Koebele, and "Plants and Flowers of Hawai'i" by S.H. Sohmer and R. Gustafson. Both books are published by University of Hawai'i Press.
>> Gardeners like to learn new things and hang out with their own kind. Signing them up for gardening classes gives them a chance to do both. The Honolulu Academy of Arts's annual narcissus culture classes are always in demand. Students learn the traditional Chinese carving techniques to create crab-claw narcissus for the New Year. Classes are available in Honolulu and Hilo, and fees range from $25 to $35. Call 532-8741. Deadline for registration is Jan. 5.
Master lei maker Brian Choy will offer a series of lei-making classes at Lyon Arboretum beginning Jan. 12. (Be forewarned, Choy is a serious teacher who believes in assigning homework.) Cost is $20 plus $2 for supplies. Class size is limited; call 988-0471.
Gardening Calendar
Suzanne Tswei's gardening column runs Saturdays in Today.
You can write her at the Star-Bulletin,
500 Ala Moana, Suite 7-210, Honolulu, HI, 96813
or email stswei@starbulletin.com
