Gardening may be a joy, but keeping organized sometimes isn’t.
Seeds, seedlings, plants and supplies can easily get jumbled. Planting and tending details can get fuzzy on the brain.
Help your favorite gardener stay on top of things with these gift ideas from local gardening centers and shops.
Planning
2016 Calendar & Garden Journal ($10 manufacturer’s suggested retail price, various locations, uacals.org/3h1). Master gardeners at the Pima County Cooperative Extension have put together a calendar with tons of information that includes what to plant when, what to take care of each month, and when pesky and beneficial bugs show up. Every month features tips on creating specialty gardens such as xeriscape, cactus or rose plots. A grid of each day of the month allows room to jot down information that will help keep track of growing seasons, tasks and challenges, making it a good reference for future years.
Moleskine Gardening Journal ($20, Barnes & Noble Booksellers). Five tabbed sections provide space for great detail, including design grids, microclimate information, plant care records and container information. There’s room for pictures and drawings, as well as personal musings.
Planting
Seedling trays ($7-$8, various locations). Compact, portable containers help gardeners keep track of what they’re growing since one seed is placed in each cell. That’s more organized than strewing an unknown number of seeds into a single container or on the ground. Trays come in either 72 or 36 cells. Although there are different brands, they all work the same way: The sheet of cells sits in a tray and is topped by a clear plastic cover to create a mini-greenhouse. Add dirt and seeds to the cells. Giving trays for the holidays will allow gardeners to start seedlings in time for planting the early spring garden.
Verti-plant vertical planter ($22, Civano Nursery). The four-pocket planter is made of nonwoven material and is hung on a fence or wall. The three top pouches have holes that allow water to drip into the pocket below it. Gardeners can organize plantings based on watering needs or varieties.
Wally planters ($18-$150, Boxhill). Pouches for plants are made from recycled plastic bottles and covered in felt that wicks water to the plant. They can be combined in a variety of ways to organize a wall or fence garden indoors or outside. Packages contain from one to five planters.
Tri-stand planter ($550, $695, Boxhill). A mid-20th century design organizes container gardening into a simple, multilevel vignette. The powder-coated steel stand is in the shape of a triangle. At each corner is a pole that varies in size from the other poles. At the end of each pole is a ceramic white or black bowl for planting. There are two sizes.
Tending
Plant markers ($6, Mesquite Valley Growers Nursery). Understated stoneware medallions help remind folks what herbs are planted. Each comes with a rustproof garden hanger that’s staked into the ground.
Plant stakes ($3-$28, various locations). Plant stakes made of plastic, aluminum or metal allow gardeners to customize information by writing on them with a permanent marker. Some provide enough room for short notes on care instructions as well as plant name.
Storing
Canisters ($10, $12, $14, Harlow Gardens). Galvanized-metal canisters with lids are the right size for seed packets, bulk seeds, bulbs, plant stakes and other small gardening supplies that need rounding up.
Boxes ($10, $13, Green Things). Who says a gardening table or shed can’t have style? Four sizes of painted distressed boxes can hide a lot of ties, seed packets, labels and other gardening necessities.
