Hoe-hoe-hoe!

*Editors' Note*
I promised myself I'd stop with the punning, but I can't seem to help myself. I also promised I would never bribe my child, or raise my voice at him in public, and I've done those things too. Mea culpa.

ANYWAY--I do have some neat gift ideas, items with which this author has played, seen, used, or read. No web-only stuff here.

The aptly named Garden Claw is at the top of the list. This gizmo is my personal all-time favorite tool. Honest. I could sell these things door-to-door. I bought the hand sized one for containers and small spaces, and I love it too.

If you can't tell from this photograph, the yellow vinyl covered handles are directionlly opposite from the business end of this tool. As you turn the handles, the soil breaks up. Simple physics combines with minimum effort for wonderful results.

There is a "Gold" version of the big one, which has several different types of easily interchangeable tines for the digging end. I have one of the plain old claws, and have been happily breaking up dirt with it for years.

Lots of garden centers carry these items, and they cost less than fifty dollars.


A dressier item--but less expensive, at twenty dollars---is equally useful. This rust-free aluminum trowel and old-fashioned hand claw come together as a set.I think they make a lovely gift...I can never have too may trowels, I seem to leave them in the pocket of an apron, and it takes a while to relocate them!

I was given these as a gift, and my husband thought they were salad servers. The trowel has a ruler on it--I like that for putting in bulbs at the right depth and spacing seedlings. And they are very pretty.

They're available on line from Evan Thomas: http://store.yahoo.com/e-t-c/garden.htm

Santa knows I want this next item, but I had to explain to him what makes it so special. I have snips and pruners, several of them Felcos, but the reason I want the Felco #12 is its' unique rotating grip handle.

This moveable grip keeps your hand from becoming sore after repeated clipping, especially on smaller plants. Most snips must be held in the same position in order to function properly, but not these Felcos.

The fat hand on the lower portion in this picture is the one which is ergonomically designed. It is slightly soft which makes it even more comfortable to use.

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