Gifts for the gardeners in your life

At this time of year, I like to share my ideas for gifts for the gardeners on your shopping list.

Garden gloves, shovels and garden books are my picks for this year.

So many gardeners whom I work with say they don't really like wearing garden gloves. They note that gloves impair their dexterity or hamper their sensitivity of touch.

I used to feel that way too, but garden gloves have come a long way.

One company known for its quality gloves is Women's Work. They pride themselves on being a "friends and family"-run business that sets high standards for quality, fit and style. Their Micro Suede Stretch Gloves are made from brightly colored spandex and a micro-suede fabric that protects the fingertips and palms. The gloves have a longer cuff with a velcro wrist closure to keep soil from finding its way inside. The best thing is the terry brow wipe placed on the thumbs.

Women's Work also sells other gloves including gardener's goatskin gloves, heavy duty cowhide gloves, high-performance garden gloves, nitrile weeding gloves and their original sueded pigskin gloves.

For more information, visit womanswork.com.

Last year, I received a wonderful pair of Foxgloves gardening gloves. Foxgloves are made out of a durable nylon and Lycra fabric that provides "support and breathable comfort." The stretchy fabric is snug and allows for great dexterity. My pair of gloves is the Foxgloves grip style with little oval silicone dots covering the palm to provide for a good grip when using them with garden hand tools. For harsh tasks, Foxgloves are light enough to be worn as a liner under heavy duty type gloves.

For more information, visit foxgloves inc.com.

These gloves are the "creme de la creme," but if you're looking for a simple inexpensive stocking stuffer, get a pair of stretchy nylon gloves dipped in nitrile. Some of this type are available from the Benton-Franklin Master Gardener Foundation at the Extension office in Kennewick or from local hardware stores. They don't have all the nice features of the fancier garden gloves, but they still work and will be appreciated.

Tools are another great gift for gardeners. A great place to purchase gardening tools online or by catalog is Lee Valley (leevalley.com). They carry a complete line of quality spades, forks, shovels, rakes, trowels, pruning equipment, watering cans, hoes and weeders.

Most gardeners won't splurge on a shiny new shovel for themselves, but you can make their day with one from Lee's stainless steel line. One of these beauties is likely to is likely to be handed down from generation to generation in a family of gardeners. They come with tubular steel handles with molded plastic covers or with kiln-dried ash handles. The ones with the ash handles are lighter and shorter, making them the better choice for average height or shorter gardeners. Gardeners without Herculean strength or stature often note that their favorite shovels and spades are ones with smaller blades, such as Lee Valley's smaller border spade or narrow transplanting spade.

Brightly colored garden gloves and shiny new shovels will sit idle during the winter months, but a good gardening book is always welcomed by a forlorn gardener dreaming of spring.

Since I like trees and shrubs, one of my favorite garden book authors is Dr. Michael A. Dirr. I've owned three editions of his Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses and would be lost without it. Dirr is a recognized authority on cultivated trees and shrubs and doesn't shrink from telling you what plants are winners and what ones should never be planted. His Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia has beautiful photos but doesn't include as much detail about the plants.

For flower gardeners, Dr. Allan M. Armitage recently published Herbaceous Perennial Plants: A Treatise on Their Identification, Culture and Garden Attributes. It reflects Armitage's wit and vast knowledge of flowering perennials, including information on propagation and culture. If your gardener is more interested in native plant gardening, you might want to look for Armitage's Native Plants for North American Gardens.

Finally, a gift certificate to a gardener's favorite seed company or nursery is always welcome. Tuck the certificate into their stocking along with the company's most recent catalog or a picture of that special plant for which they've been yearning.

* Marianne C. Ophardt is a horticulturist for the Washington State University Extension Office in Benton County.