Gifts for the home & garden
We sought advice from local experts on gifts for the gardeners and stylish homeowners on your holiday shopping list. Plus, we added a couple of items that we couldn’t resist ourselves.
Our experts are Heather Rollins with Cary’s Fairview Greenhouses & Garden Center; Raleigh garden writer Craig LeHoullier, who wrote the best-selling book, “Epic Tomatoes”; and Vicky Serany of Apex’s Southern Studio Interior Design. All the gardening products are available at Fairview Greenhouses & Garden Center unless otherwise noted. All home decor items are available for purchase or special order at Southern Studio Interior Design in Apex.
Happy gift giving!
Gardening boots or clogs
Keep your feet clean and dry even if gardening in the dirt and the mud with these Sloggers waterproof boots and shoes. They come in many fun colors and patterns. Cost: $44.99.
Fill a gardening gift basket
Rollins suggests combining those boots or clogs with gardening gloves, like these work gloves from Nitrile Tough or Brahma Glove Co. for $9.99, and good pruning shears, like these Dramm garden scissors for $19.99. LeHoullier recommends a good weeding tool, like this ARS Weeding Sickle from Nejiri Kama, for $22.93 on Amazon.
Finish the basket with a gift certificate to a local garden center or – as LeHoullier suggests – a local nursery, such as Niche Gardens, Tony Avent’s Plant Delights or Big Bloomers in Sanford. “A membership to the Seed Savers Exchange would open up a whole new world for gardeners,” LeHoullier said.
A pet ornament
We fell in love with these adorable ornaments in mirrored gold or mirrored silver acrylic, which would make a great gift for the animal lover in your life. They come in the shapes of cats, horse, hedgehog, cockatiel and lots of dog breeds, including French bulldog (shown), Dachshund and even Labradoodle. It costs $20, or personalize it by adding a name for $22, available at moonandlola.com.
Gift of green
An easy-to-care-for plant presented in a decorative pot is a gift that will keep on giving, Rollins said. Choose a poinsettia, a winter hardy hellebore, a mixed pot of succulents or the classic Christmas cactus. Cost: $20-$40.
A pretty thing
You cannot go wrong with a little something pretty, like a pair of teal glass birds made by Global Views for $42, or this Lazy Susan textured gold 4-by-6-inch frame for $56.
A cozy throw
Serany loves these washable cotton-blend blankets from Thom Filicia Home Collection to add a pop of color and texture to your space. Cost: $98
Air plant ornament
We fell in love with these striking Christmas ornaments: an air plant tucked inside a glass globe and ready to hang on the tree. After the holiday, they will look perfect on a windowsill or elsewhere to decorate your home. Cost: $14.99.
Water scarecrow
LeHoullier recommends the “water scarecrow,” which is a motion-activated sprinkler to scare deer away from your hostas, vegetables and other beloved plants. “We’ve used them for years, and they continue to work great,” said LeHoullier, who should know since his driveway and yard is filled with an heirloom vegetable garden. The Orbit 62100 Yard Enforcer Motion Activated Sprinkler is about $65 on Amazon.
Straw bale gardening book
Don’t miss LeHoullier’s latest book, “Growing Vegetables in Straw Bales: Easy Planting, Less Weeding, Early Harvests,” from Storey Publishing. At $8.95 for the slender paperback, it makes a good stocking stuffer. Available at local bookstores and online.
The cheese is served
Serany of Southern Studio Interior Design likes these slate cheese boards, which add an elegant touch as you’re entertaining friends and family. Cost: $24.
This story was originally published December 4, 2015 at 3:55 AM with the headline "Gifts for the home & garden."