Isn t buying gardening gifts for Christmas a bit dull

A.� Not at all. Gone are the days you were restricted to a pot plant or tools, not to say they are no longer welcome, far from it Nowadays there are literally thousands of specialist gifts for the gardener, from the practical and useful to the elegant and downright bizarre.

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A quick trawl through the plethora of glossy gardening gift catalogues and websites reveal the likes of portable hammocks, roll out wildseed mats and walk-in Wellington boot cleaners.

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A.� My grandfather got a pair of gardening gloves from me every year as a kid and they always got used.

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Buying tools and equipment may seem unimaginative but a really keen gardener takes great delight in a new fork, spade or secateurs, especially if their old ones have seen better days. If you want ideas, try and have a sneak look in the shed or lean-to and see what looks like it could do with replacing.

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A.� Things that have caught my eye this year include a sack truck, which you can use to stand up those bags of compost that are constantly tipping over and which can turn into a mini-truck, great for anyone with a bad back (South Downs Trading Company).

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There is the double-decker Strawberry Table top, again handy for those who get the odd twinge down the spine, with two growbags fitted into frames, on different levels and standing off the ground. You don't have to grow strawberries either (BBC online shop).

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Then there is clothing. Gardening is a mucky business and there are a range of knee protectors, thorn proof cowboy style strap on leggings and rubber shoe protectors (mini Wellingtons, essentially) on the market.

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A.� If your kids are genuinely interested in gardening then Wilkinson Sword does a range of handtools specifically for small hands called Garden Buddies. Other firms do similar ranges.

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Another good one around at the moment is the Panda Stix Twister kit ([email protected]). Quite a mouthful, but these are sets of seven or four foot brightly coloured recycled plastic sticks that clip together to form a wigwam that climbing plants can be grown up with come spring.

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A.� What about books If he or she has a particular passion try and find something on the subject, or if all else fails, garden centre gift vouchers will always be used on something they want.

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