Offbeat Holiday Gifts 08

Hats

There are pictures in some of our old family albums of young women back in the 1920's wearing hats shaped much like these.  So if you know a gardener with whimsical leanings, someone who might have been a flapper in a previous life, this might be the perfect gift.  Hand-crafted tweed with crocheted flowers, imported from Italy. $118 from the NY Botanical Garden gift shop.  There are several styles available at different prices.

Bambisitter
Can you think of child who wouldn't want one of these in the garden?  And this one won't eat your plants!

Pre-aged pine wood, it's 55" long, about 13" high.  It also comes in a "high" version that's a bit shorter in length, but about 30" high.  Either version is $390.  From the Conran Shop.

Thimble Planters

These planters come in sets of three -- with three different sizes.  As a trio, they certainly make a statement, just because of the unusual shape.  Planted with innovative choices, the three would look great at the corner of a patio or deck.  $72 for the set. 

Available from H. Potter, whose online catalogue has a wide variety of garden gifts that well worth perusing.

Stones Tile

These are kind of a nifty idea - stones collected from Pacific Islands -- Bali, Sumatra, & others -- then sorted by size and glued onto a mesh material. They can be installed using thinset and grout, or set into concrete.  The stone "tiles" (12" x 12") come in a variety of colors.  Jade tiles shown here, $13 each.  Stone tiles from Agua-Fina.

Micro-Dried Flowers

OK, throw out all that silica gel.  If this thing actually works, what a miracle. It's a flower press that you put in the microwave, and the publicity says it preserves flower color much better than hand-pressing.

It comes in large (9" square) for $44.95, or small (5 1/2" square) for $22.95.  It would also be a great present for anyone studying plant ID -- a perfect way to dry leaves (rather than xeroxing them, which is what we always used to do).  From Gardener's Supply.

(images: from respective online stores; click on images to enlarge).

Comments

[leather beds]

love the stone tiles, perfect for summer garden entertaining - have just bought some online after reading this