The Mountain Gardener: Holiday gift ideas for gardeners

It’s as fun for me to give a little something during the holidays to those I care about as it is to receive a present.
I admit I look forward to what might be under the tree, but half the fun of the holidays is putting together an inexpensive gift that is just right for each person on my list. With so many gardeners on that list, the choices are endless. Here are some ideas that you might find just right for those you love.
Succulents are easy to grow. They are very forgiving plants with variations in watering and light conditions. Seems I’m always coming across someone who has a story about how long they have had a particular specimen and where it came from.
“You see that hens and chicks over there?” they say. “Well my aunt gave me a little slip way back in… and it blooms every year.”
I’m particularly drawn to the many frilly and ruffled echeveria that are available now. There are 180 different species of this succulent and hundreds of hybrids to choose from.
Many of them are blooming at this time of year, making them a showy gift that’s sure to get you a lot of thanks.
With names like afterglow, Easter bonnet, red edge, coral glow, Perle Von Nurnberg, morning light, blue surprise or fire and ice, you can pretty much pick the shade of scarlet, tangerine, purple, opalescent blue, or nearly black, often with a combination of colors.
These rosette-shaped succulents are native to Mexico. The brilliant colors of the leaves never fade and the waxy flowers last a very long time. They make ideal potted plants and are easy to propagate. The perfect gift in my book.
Another simple, inexpensive gift for the gardener on your list is the tillandsia. Sometimes called air plants, these relatives of Spanish moss and pineapple have tiny scales on their leaves called trichomes, which serve as very efficient absorption systems to gather water.
They are very tolerant of drought conditions and will grow with just an occasional spritzing of water — although I like to run mine under lukewarm water to mimic the showers they might get where they normally grow in tropical tree limbs.
Tillandsia prefer the light from a bright window but not direct sunlight and are among the easiest of indoor plants to grow and maintain.
Wire one on a branch or piece of driftwood or place in a shell where they will live happily for years, growing pups at the base that replace the mother plant.
It’s not too late to start a couple of hyacinth bulbs in the refrigerator to give as gifts. Part of the fun is watching the bulbs put out roots well before the fragrant blooms.
Choose a hyacinth jar or other narrow necked jar that will support the bulb just above the water and keep in the fridge until the roots start to fill the jar.
Take the bulb out of the dark and give it a bit more light each day for a week until it’s acclimated to bright light. The house will fill with the sweet scent of spring even though it may only be January.
They say that we often give a gift that we ourselves would like to receive. Simple is sometimes the best but they all say “love.”
– Jan Nelson, a landscape designer and California certified nursery professional, will answer questions about gardening in the Santa Cruz Mountains. E-mail her at

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