Master Gardeners In the Garden
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Quality gifts to make your gardener happy
By Mary Fran McClure
WSU Chelan/Douglas County Master Gardener
A selection of tool possibilities for gardeners includes (clockwise from the top): A hoe-like Skidger, pruning saw, bypass pruners with garden gloves, and long handled loppers. – Provided photo/Mary Fran McClure 
Mary Fran McClure – WSU Extension Chelan/Douglas County Master Gardener – photo by Don Seabrook, Wenatchee World The hori hori knife was highlighted in my column of gardening gift ideas several years ago. Those versatile knives originally developed in Japan have become a widely used tool among gardeners. It remains one of my top recommendations for every gardener. Its wide blade is great for digging, weeding and planting. The serrated edge is helpful for cutting small things. It’s just a superbly useful garden tool.
I’ve discovered a new tool — at least new to me — and I think it may prove to be a near equal to the hori hori knife in usefulness for serious gardeners. The Skidger is a little like a hoe but made with a sharp V-point that slides under annual weeds, decapitating them. Rather than chopping out a weed, it pushes under it to sever the root.
My first encounter with this gem was watching Master Gardener Russ Hemphill weeding in the Chelan County PUD’s Xeric Garden that WSU Chelan-Douglas Master Gardeners maintain along the Wenatchee-side of the Columbia River. With a long sturdy cushioned grip yellow handle, he was effortlessly weeding without the back breaking job of leaning over. A win-win for gardeners and a loss for annual weeds such as last year’s abundant crop of invasive spotted spurge. Fortunately, the Skidger comes with a snap-on plastic protector over those lethal-looking blade edges for protection when not in use.
No need to dig out the entire root of annuals but eliminating perennial dandelions is a different matter. For them, a regular weeder that reaches far into the soil is needed to remove this deeply rooted, tenacious plant.
Other gift winners include quality pruners available in various sizes to fit the gardener’s hand. In addition, there are left-handed and right-handed styles to consider. A pruner is probably the most used tool for most of your clipping jobs; it’s great for deadheading and clipping smaller stems up to about ½ inch in diameter. My recommendation is to select a top quality one because it will be the go-to item for the gardener.
Be aware there are two types of pruner blades, bypass and anvil. I prefer the bypass type with a curved blade because it makes clean cuts. Anvil types have a flat cutting edge and are more likely to crush stems; that’s OK for dead stems but not live plants.
There are replacement parts for springs, blades and even blade sharpeners for quality brands like Felco and Corona.
For stems and branches ½-inch in diameter or more are too large for pruners. Loppers are the ticket, with long handles providing leverage and a longer reach. They can slice branches up to roughly 1-inch thick.
A pruning saw is the next step up for larger branches — or a chainsaw.
Another gift idea is quality garden gloves that are available in various sizes rather than a just one size fits all — which really doesn’t.
Feeders are beneficial for attracting and supporting our local bird populations. I like cylindrical shaped feeders because bird droppings can’t contaminate the area as happens with flat feeders.
A few years ago, my daughter and son-in-law gave me a hanging feeder with three parallel cylinders and adjoining perches. It’s entertaining watching up to 24 goldfinches pecking out thistle seed, one at each perch. I’ve even seen a few feeding while upside-down, just as they do on sunflower heads in the fall. I haven’t seen this model locally, but it is online.
This is the time of year to get serious about gift giving. Check out our local hardware, farm and big box stores before resorting to the internet. I’ve seen a nice selection of the items I’ve written about available locally.
A WSU Chelan-Douglas County Master Gardener column appears weekly in The Wenatchee World. To learn more about the local Master Gardener program, visit bit.ly/MGchelandouglas or call (509) 667-6540.
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