Gardening is one of the most popular of all leisure-time activities, and chances are you have a gardener or two on your shopping list this holiday season. Here are some sure-to-please gift ideas for novice and expert gardeners alike.

Because the desert is such a unique gardening environment, books tailored to growing plants in the desert Southwest are much appreciated gifts. A recent release is Eric Johnson's Guide to Gardening for the Arid West entitled: "Pruning, Planting & Care". It lists specific care instructions for more than 300 native and desert adapted trees, shrubs, ground covers, vines and ground covers. For the vegetable gardener there's George Brookbank's "Desert Gardening" which contains a wealth of information on growing fruits and vegetables in the desert. And for the flower gardener I would suggest a copy of "The Low-Water Flower Gardener", by Eric Johnson and Scott Millard. This book contains beautiful color photos and useful information on nearly 100 desert-adapted perennials.

For the techno-gardener, virtual gardening is not yet available, however great computer CDs with lots of gardening information are! No green-thumb "geek" should be without a copy of the University of Arizona's "Desert Landscaping" , a CD-ROM with a database on over 600 desert adapted plants. It can be purchased at local garden centers and bookstores, or through the U. of A. Water Resources Research Center located at 350 N. Campbell (792-9591). Retail suppliers of "Desert Landscaping" can be found on the web at: www.ag.arizona.edu/azwater/cd/retailcd.html.

Plants are what gardening is all about, and a gift of a plant is always greatly appreciated. You can't go wrong with a holiday plant, such as poinsettia or kalanchoe, in a brightly wrapped pot. My holiday favorite - amaryllis can be purchased in ready-to-grow kits, and after flowering the bulb can be planted outside to grow on and bloom next season. Amaryllis flowers are striking and come in a range of colors including red, pink, salmon, white and combinations there of.

Theme gifts using plants lots of fun. A small potted herb can be brightly wrapped with a card attached including a great recipe for using that herb. A nectar-producing plant to attract butterflies, such as lantana or verbena, can be combined with a book on butterfly gardening. The "Desert Butterfly Gardening" booklet published by the Arizona Native Plant Society is inexpensive and one of the best. This and other native plant and gardening booklets are available at many retail garden centers, the Tucson Botanical Garden, Tohono Chul Park, and the Sonoran Desert Museum.

Tools are always a favorite gift for gardeners, especially pruning tools. For the neighbors who are mistreating plants with poor pruning, give them a gift of a quality hand pruner and an excellent pruning guide: the "Sunset Pruning Handbook". Be diplomatic; tell them you noticed their efforts and thought they might enjoy the gift. You may notice a pleasant change in the way your neighbors groom their plants!

Power tools are also popular with gardeners. Blower/vacums come in electric and gas powered models. They're great for removing leaves and debris from walks, drives, and gravel mulch. Small, hand-held power tillers are ideal for tilling and cultivating small garden plots. And power string trimmers, or "weed wackers" can be used to trim small lawns and make short work of weeds!

With the new year and the new millennium comes the need for a 2,000 calender. Many beautiful theme gardening and plant calenders are available at speciality stores. Note cards, t-shirts, candles, coasters, and coffee mugs also are available with garden and botanical themes.

Finally, if you can't decide what to give, how about a gift certificate to your favorite garden center. Gardener love plants, and with a gift certificate they can pick the ones they like the best!

Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona, 520-626-5161.
Material originally appeared in Arizona Daily Star gardening column, on December 12, 1999
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