By Val Whitmyre, U. C. Master Gardener

Our New Book

I usually use three different kinds of gloves: a close-fitting pair for handling young seedlings; a sturdy pair with vinyl palms for digging or lifting; and heavy-duty leather gloves for working with roses or moving lumber.

To me, the most indispensable tool is a pair of clean, sharp bypass pruning shears. Most gardeners probably have these, but a backup would be gladly accepted. Don't skimp on the tools a gardener uses almost every day. This tool is like the chef's carving knife; a sharp blade is a safe blade.

A small fixed-blade pruning saw is useful for selective pruning of woody shrubs and small trees. I use an eight-point curved blade and a six-point straight blade. Both cut on the draw stroke.

When working with diseased plant material, I carry a small plastic spray bottle filled with a 10-percent bleach solution to use on my bypass shears or lopping shears. This precaution may help keep the disease from transferring to healthy plants. Spray bottles are also useful to mist indoor and outdoor plants on hot days.

I like to use chopsticks when working with cuttings or planting seeds. They also make good mini stakes for young plants. Bonsai gardeners use them to help settle the soil or other plant medium. Wiggling a chopstick down into the soil all around a newly planted tiny tree insures more stability.

I used to think my thumb was the most important watering implement in the garden, but now I really appreciate a hose attachment that has several settings, such as mist, shower and jet modes. Because I like to water by hand, I like the fact that each setting speaks to a particular plant need, and between each setting the water is prevented from flowing all over a patio or porch.

To perk up most plants, I use an organic slow-release type of fertilizer. I usually dilute by the recommended amount and use it often. A fertilizer made of seaweed powder is a favorite because its green color smells like the seashore and makes me think it will work miracles. The 14-18-14 nutrient percentage results in healthy root and flower growth.

You may want to give an acid fertilizer to gardeners who love camellias, azaleas, rhododendrons and citrus or a "rose food" to rose lovers. Check out the different types of fertilizers at your local nurseries. Each type of fertilizer should be applied in the amount stated on the package, and at the proper time of year.

If you know the recipient's shoe size, a pair of garden clogs enables a gardener to go from house to garden to house without stopping to untie shoelaces. I buy a size larger than my shoe size and I even wear them in public. (OK, so I only go to nurseries. They still look good.)

At day's end, many gardeners have to wash away the grime because they forgot to wear their gloves. A hard-working gardener's soap and a small fingernail brush are in order and would make a nice gift.

Dedicated gardeners also like to record their accomplishments in a garden journal and peruse books for ideas and guidance. Any gardener would appreciate an updated Sunset Western Garden Book, the California Master Gardener Handbook, or Pests of the Garden and Small Farm: a Grower's Guide to Using Less Pesticide by Mary Louise Flint. Also consider the Napa County Master Gardeners' beautifully updated Month-by-Month Guide to Gardening in Napa County(See It On-Line Here!), John Hoffman's Trees of Napa Valley, or the inspirational Growing Season: Life Lessons from the Garden by former Master Gardener Arlene Bernstein. Call the Napa County Master Gardener office or look on our web site for more information about these books.

An apple basket would be the perfect container to hold all these wonderful gifts. Apple baskets are convenient receptacles for weeds and cut foliage. They are 14 inches tall and 16 inches in diameter and have two handles. Find them at valley specialty stores, nurseries or thrift shops. If you still have empty spaces, slip in packets of special seeds or favorite recipes for the gardener's harvest.