Catalog gifts for the gardener.

Some gardening gift suggestions from The Old Granite Step.

You may already know that I receive a lot of catalogs!  Seed catalogs are my favorite.  It allows me to imagine what spring holds in store while watching a bleak February or March out the window.  I had a conversation with our post mistress about all of the catalogs sent and received this time of year.  I wonder; with on-line sales trending, does a catalog (that may have long ago been the only way for those in rural areas to order anything at all) encourage us to look on-line, further boosting sales?  Whether that's the case or not, I enjoy the photos and ideas presented to me in a format I can ponder while sitting in front of the fire.  Here are some gift ideas for the gardener in your life!

Live flowers are such a treat to receive mid-winter.  Plow and Hearth gives us an assortment to choose from; including a month by month selection.

This is truly one of my favorite holiday catalogs.  Breck's Gifts are inspired by nature and will be appreciated by any gardener!  The living tree is beautifully decorated and would be lovely on a table top.  The Lily of the Valley shown at the top of the post is stunning!

The Vermont Country Store offers a nice selection of balsam gifts that you can ship to a friend.  The catalog says "fresh from the woods of Maine"!  Choose trees, wreaths or centerpieces.  If you happen to be in Vermont, it's fun to visit the store!  They offer many items you'll remember from days gone by.  Check their website for more information.

Gardener's Supply Company offers a fun selection of gardening gifts including these "gifts for the budding gardener".  Bogs boots are a comfortable gardening clog offered in colorful floral patterns. 

Another beautiful assortment of live flowers can be shipped by Wind & Weather.  Imagine tulips and hyacinths in January!  Order by 12/16/15 for Christmas delivery.

A wonderful gift idea is a waxed amaryllis bulb from Jackson & Perkins.  They are gorgeous bulbs that been dipped in metallic wax; I have never seen anything like this before.  I adore the gold metallic.

I would love to receive the Cutco Bypass Pruners!  Cutco stands by their Forever Guarantee and I can tell you from experience that they mean what they say.  I've had a pair of Cutco pruners for almost 20 years and they're a very necessary tool in the garden.  For a minimal shipping fee, I've been able to send them back for sharpening and a tune-up.  Well worth the money, in my opinion.

The National Geographic holiday catalog offers a variety of interesting gifts.  Every gardener needs a weather station!  It helps when planning bulb planting, pruning, making perennial or annual purchases; even mulching.  This basic model gives you the day's forecast along with temperatures, humidity and more. 

LL Bean offers traditional balsam assembled by hand in Down east Maine.  I think the Woodland Berry Lighted Tree is a terrific gift idea for someone who is able to transplant it outside in the spring.  A gift that lasts, this Alberta spruce brings a bit of the outdoors in!