Great gardening gifts for anyone on your list

BOUNTIFUL — Have your annual Christmas-shopping expeditions tired you out? Has fighting for a parking spot left you frustrated? Have you vowed to never stand in long checkout lines again? Relief might be as close as your favorite nursery.

Since gardening is America's No. 1 outdoor leisure activity, gardening gifts are perfect for anyone on your list.

I stopped by J&L Garden Center in Bountiful for some recommendations.

Lou Chaston, the garden center's gift manager, suggested an indoor fountain. "People like them because they are calming and create an atmosphere of peace inside the home.

"Another popular choice," she said, "are gift baskets." The baskets cost $10 and up. "We custom-create these for the gardener. They can include almost anything, including flags, tools, seeds and whatever else you want. We can create them for anyone whenever they come in."

One of J&L's creations is a bird-feeder gift basket, which includes a birdhouse, birdseed, suet and anything for the outdoor bird enthusiast, Chaston said.

Bedding-plant manager Diane Ashby suggests gift certificates. "We can make them for a specific amount, or we can make them for a special rose bush, a fruit tree or anything else a gardener might want for the new season."

Ashby pointed out that cactus gardens are always popular, and they do well as indoor plants. Other plant ideas include topiaries, which come in myriad shapes and sizes. Or give those on your list English ivy, rosemary or other herbs, all of which make good indoor plants.

Another popular interior plant is the lucky, or curly, bamboo. This easy-to-grow plant adapts to almost any kind of container and will even grow in vases filled with water. The contorted stems create interesting patterns as they grow.

And don't forget that you can force bulbs to grow this time of year. Amaryllis are the most popular, but paperwhites, hyacinths, crocus and others are easy to force and are very showy, especially when displayed in a decorative pot. Plant stands, clay pottery and ceramic pots are also popular gift ideas.

Terrariums are enjoying a resurgence in popularity, and these self-contained growing devices come in all sizes and price ranges. J&L also carries a wide range of tools and accessories for those who enjoy bonsai.

For more avid growers, Ashby pointed out plant-growing carts, which feature special lights to keep plants healthy. The shelves accommodate different size plants, and the leak-proof trays let gardeners start seeds, getting a jump on the growing season.