Gardening Gift Buyer's Guide

Classy Hummingbird Feeder

kswanson56 — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 15:28:18 +0000

Hummingbirds are on their way! Check out this Hayes Avant Yarde Mini Window Hummingbird Feeder. It’s decorative and a lot cooler than your average hummingbird feeder. It looks great even if there are not birds on it. Welcome your hummingbirds with style! $7.49 is what it costs…

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Brill Razorcut 38 reel mower. You push, it mows!

Ulrich — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:46:36 +0000

Looks like Brill has updated the design of their German made reel mowers with the introduction of the Razorcut 38 push mower.

I, for one, am glad that they changed the name from Luxus 38 to Razorcut 38. I don’t know how many times I heard people call the old one the “Lexus.”

The Brill Razorcut has an updated handle design that is stiffer, and nicer looking. They also added a “spoiler” along the back side that does a little bit better job of preventing grass from getting on your shoes when you are pushing the mower. You can add a grasscatcher to it, if you want. But if you do, be sure to compost the grass clippings! Don’t throw them into the landfill.

5 blades. Weighs just 17 pounds. Has a 15 1/2″ wide cut. Goes from .75 inches to just under 2 inches for the maximum cut.

The Brill Razorcut 38 reel mower is available from Clean Air Gardening.

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The Garden Insect DVD

Steve W — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:10:12 +0000

My kid knows everything about bugs. It’s my fault really; when he was just a toddler I used to tell him that whales were insects and giraffes lived in the ocean and all sorts of nonsense. I never expected him to believe this stuff but when he started school and found out I’d been messing with his head he set out to find his own answers rather than asking me. Well, it’s paid off because now when I come across some insect in the back yard I just drag him away from the video games and get him to identify it

“Son, what’s this one? Should I kill it?”

“No Dad. That’s a Patagonian whooping caterpillar…they kill mosquitoes and find truffles. People pay good money for these”

“Oh …How ‘bout this one?

“That’s the dog, Dad. Not an insect,”

“Are you sure? He looks kinda shifty…”

“Yeah…See, the collar? That’s our phone number there…it’s a dead giveaway”

“That’s our old number…that’s why I thought….”

“Trust me”

I think he’s just getting revenge on me. If you don’t have a entomologist for a son, or just don’t trust the little monster this DVD could help. It’s 50 minutes long and was made by filmmaker who also is a organic gardener. It teaches you which bugs are which and which ones are helpful and which ones will eat your socks. The Garden Insect DVD is available from Clean Air Gardening for $24.99

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Squirrel-Flipping Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder

Steve W — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 11:33:26 +0000

Honestly, who wouldn’t like to watch squirrels being thrown through the air by a motorized bird feeder? I want to meet the people who thought this up; seriously, they’re my kind of folk.

What we have here is what looks like an ordinary innocent bird feeder. But hidden within the thing is a rechargeable NICAD powered motor and a pressure switch set to trigger when anything heavier than a bird lights on it; a cat, a squirrel…whatever. The perch then spins to send the intruder flying.

In addition, it’s a darn fine bird feeder. It sports a polycarbonate tube, a powder coated cap, and holds 5 lbs of squirrel tempting seed. The Squirrel Flipping Bird Feeder is available at Clean Air Gardening for $92.99.

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Copper Rooster Weather Vane

Steve W — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 19:39:41 +0000

In Whitehorse, in the Yucatan, there exists the largest weather vane in the world. It’s a decommissioned DC-3 cargo plane from WWII. In 1981 a group of people who probably need additional job responsibilities restored the nine ton warbird and then hoisted it up on a pole so the pilots landing at the Whitehorse airport could tell the wind direction. Seriously. Supposedly it only takes a 5 knot wind to make it turn.

If you are in need of a saner weather vane, the folks at Clean Air Gardening have something a tad more practical. It’s the classic rooster style, made out of copper and doesn’t require a crane to put it in place and $20,000 dollars to get it into a presentable condition. The Copper Rooster Weather Vane is available for $270.99 from Clean Air Gardening.

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The Trade Wind Poly-Wood Double Rocker

Steve W — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:32:33 +0000

When I was looking for a house, my wife had one request; she wanted a front porch. It wasn’t until after I got her the house, with the porch, that I realized that what she really wanted a porch swing like she had growing up. The problem was the porch cover that we would have to attach the swing to had been covered with vinyl siding. There wasn’t going to be a porch swing without a lot of work.

A lot of people are in this situation and there are options; Personally, I’m going to be getting her a double rocker. Now, it may look just like the ones you find at those down home restaurant and gift shops that seemed to have replaced the chain of blue roofed pecan places we had as kids. But here’s the difference; these are made out of polywood. Polywood is an engineered material made from recycled milk jugs that can be used like wood in furniture building but will resist any type of adverse weather situation you can think of…well anything you could encounter and still be worried about your outdoor furniture. The Trade Wind Poly-Wood Double Rocker is available for $479.99 from Clean Air Gardening.

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Aloe Vera

Steve W — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 19:31:46 +0000

When I was in high school I had a friend who worked late nights in a donut shop (which explains why my doctor was always after me to lose 10 or 100 pounds or so). They kept Aloe Vera gel in the cooler to use on burns from the fryer and swore by it. Now, the science is inconclusive and I’m not going to say whether or not it works but people in its native North Africa have been using it for medicinal purposes forever. Of course, people have been saying that Chihuahua dogs will cure asthma for a long time too….

One thing that I can say for certain is that I’ve always liked the plants. They are so easy to care for that even I can’t kill one and will grow anywhere that’s relatively frost free. Aloe Vera plants are available cactusstore.com in a variety of sizes

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Venus Flytrap

Steve W — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 19:30:43 +0000

What better way to get your kid interested in plants; a plant that eats stuff. I had one of these when I was a kid and it was great fun. Venus Flytraps are a native plant of the Carolinas; and actually trap and eat insects unlucky enough to land on them. The trap portion actually secretes mucilage and when something touches the hairs along the edge they snap shut, shutting tighter the more the unfortunate victim struggles; eventually creating a hermetically sealed “stomach” that digests the prey over 10 days.

Venus Flytraps are found in nitrogen poor environments (such as bogs) of if you prefer to not slog around in bogs looking for carnivorous plants they are available from California Carnivores for $7.95. And you thought all those folks out on the west coast were vegetarians.

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Cedar Adirondack Chair

Steve W — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 19:30:15 +0000

In 1903 Thomas Lee was on vacation in Westport, New York, and need some outdoor chairs for his summer home. His now famous design originally consisted of 11 pieces of wood, cut from one board. He showed to a carpenter friend, Harry Bunnell, who patented the design and made the chairs for next 20 years.

This more modern chair is made from naturally weather resistant red cedar and features more of a curved back and contoured seat than the originals did. Cedar makes a great wood for outdoor furniture and will turn silver over time with exposure to the weather (or optionally I suppose you could use a coat of clear over it to keep its original coloration. The Cedar Adirondack Chair is available from Clean Air Gardening for $169.99.

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Last minute gardening gifts that ship quickly

Ulrich — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:21:39 +0000

So here it is, with less than a week left before Christmas. You’re still browsing blogs looking for ideas and haven’t even ordered anything yet.

I feel your pain!

It’s not to late to order something online, and still have it in time for Christmas.

Clean Air Gardening just announced on their blog that they created an entire section of quick shipping gardening gifts.

These products are in stock, ship out the same day or the next day, and have options for shipping 2nd Day or Overnight.

There are more than 60 different gardening gift items to choose from.

Check it out! Clean Air Gardening Quick Shipping Gift section.

Stainless steel gardening tools, with carrying bag. $39.99

The Trake. Trowel? Rake? Both! $16.99.

Stainless steel compost pail. $39.99

Those are just 4 ideas. There are more than 60 to choose from.

Get shopping!

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