From the Ground Up: Gifts for the gardener

LINN COUNTY - As the holidays near, we are all thinking about gifts that will be enjoyed by our gardener friends and family. Gift certificates are great, but the Linn County Master Gardeners have some terrific items that gardeners will love ... and they are gifts that won't strain your pocketbook.

Each year, Iowa State Extension and outreach produce and print a gardening calendar with a different theme each year. These are available through all Extension and Outreach offices in Iowa, including Linn County. The theme for the 2015 ISU Extension and Outreach calendar is Garden Whimsy. The pictures for each month are delightful and fanciful with lots of fabulous creative decorating ideas for your garden next growing season. In addition, each month gives tips and reminders for the both the new and experienced gardener. The tips, which are posted on specific days of the month, cover a broad range of topics. For example, Jan. 18 reminds you to check your trees and shrubs for rabbit damage; and Feb. 8 reminds you to sow pansy seeds indoors. The calendars are fun, full of information, and are a perfect gardening gift for only $6. Another item unique to the Linn County Master Gardener program is a gardening book that has been reprinted, titled 'Getting Your Hands Dirty & Your Feet Wet Again.” This is the second edition, and is a gardening handbook which includes tips, information, essays and gardening stories written by many of the Linn County Master Gardeners. Just a few of the 38 topics included in the book are titled: 'Color in the Garden”; 'So You Want to Build a Raised Bed”; 'Mulch - That Covers It”; 'Tender Tropicals in Iowa Zones”; and 'Vertical Gardening.” The book also contains beautiful garden photos and is wire-bound with a hard cover for easy use. The chapters are organized logically from 'Getting Started” to 'Garden Resources.” This is a nice book for a reasonable price - $20.

These items make great gifts tucked into a basket, paired with a packet of seeds, bulbs for spring or a pair of gardening gloves. Simply stop by the ISU Extension and Outreach Office, Linn County, located at 383 Collins Rd. NE Suite 201, Cedar Rapids, IA - right at the corner of Collins Road and C Street NE. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Your gardener friends will thank you.

' Becki Lynch is a Linn County Master Gardener.