More Reasons For Wearing Gardening Gloves

In a recent post I talked about the importance of wearing gardening gloves as protection against tetanus - a most compelling reason in itself. Just in case that wasn’t persuasive enough, I thought I’d give you a few more good reasons and tell you about my favorite gardening gloves.

PROTECTION

Gardening gloves offer protection against:

• slivers from wood mulch, shovels with wood handles, and other wooden-handled garden tools and implements such as rakes, cultivators and wheelbarrows
• thorns from roses or prickly shrubs such as barberry, hawthorn, firethorn, and some junipers
• dry skin from handling soil ( I find that soil sucks all the moisture out of my hands leaving them very dry and chapped)
• allergic reactions (contact with many coniferous trees and shrubs causes my skin to break out in a hot, itchy rash)

continue reading "Get a Grip on Gardening Gloves"

To keep things simple, I’ll present these Christmas gift ideas in list fashion. Each item is linked to pictures and a location where it can be purchased.

Garden Journal- to keep track of those important and noteworthy garden happenings

Wall Tattoos - for indoor garden enjoyment all year round

Shufflers- a new take on the old slipper standby

continue reading "32 Christmas Gift Ideas for the Gardener"

We’re barely out of fall gardening and already we’re longing for spring. Forcing bulbs into blooming indoors is a pleasant way for gardeners to keep their hands in the dirt and survive the long winter while waiting for spring. (Why not start a pot for someone on your Christmas gift list?)

Choose any of the spring flowering bulbs - tulip, narcissus, crocus, muscari or hyacinth. Pick flowers that will not grow too tall for a windowsill or a table arrangement.

Here’s how to force bulbs indoors:

continue reading "Forcing Bulbs Indoors"

Do you have gardeners on your Christmas gift list? Put together a gift package with a garden theme!

Before all the gardening stuff disappears from the store shelves to make room for sleds and snow shovels, pick up a some special things to include in a gift package for your favorite gardener.

Here are some garden-themed items you can include:

continue reading "Christmas Gift Ideas - Make A Garden Gift Package"