The first item on my Christmas wish list is snow. Don’t criticize me: I want just enough to make skiers happy and just enough at the lower elevations to keep shrubs and trees happy and gardeners free of not having to bucket water. Stop gasping. I don’t mean enough snow to keep every snowplow and snowblower in the counties busy.

The dry winter last year was evident in the amount of plant damage brought to the Oregon State University Master Gardener Plant Clinic.

I know it sounds like a chore, but if you want to preserve valued plant material, especially new plantings, think ahead as to how you will do supplemental watering. The recommendation is to water every six to eight weeks if there is no snow cover and the ground is warm enough to accept water.

I decided I needed more tangible items on my list, so I took time off to explore what’s new at local nurseries. I always tend toward the practical with just a tad of bling.

I’ll share some ideas to put a smile on the face of those friends and family members who profess a love of gardening.

Starting at the ground up, the selection of complete seed-starting kits increases each year. Heat mats, once considered a luxury in the seed germination process, are more readily available and more reasonably priced. A combo gift of a seeding tray, a bag of seeding mix (a must), a heat mat and a packet of seeds make a great beginning for starting seeds come spring.

High-quality tools are essential. The price may cause you to gasp a little, but with proper end-of-season care, the tools will last a lifetime and then some. That is why they are such great gifts. Gardeners generally won’t go out and spend the extra dollars on themselves but are so appreciative when gifted with a tool they wouldn’t buy.

Pruners are always a good bet. Garden shears used for harvesting and deadheading herbs or trimming any other thin-stemmed plants work a lot better than the bulky kitchen shears.

The Japanese hori-hori knife is my indispensable gardening knife. It can be used as a trowel for planting, hand-weeding and is especially efficient for prying out the roots of perennial grass.

Gardeners Mate Pop-up Garden Tidy is a handy spring-loaded, easy-to-carry bin used for weeding or hauling mulch, dirt, tools or anything else you can imagine. The pop-up design allows for easy storage.

Fiskers Garden Basket Caddy keeps all you necessary tools organized and on hand. The caddy attaches to a 5-gallon bucket or container. It includes nine deep pockets and two pencil pockets.

It sounds so simple and mundane, but knee pads, kneeling pads and quality garden gloves are always appreciated. I spotted heavy-duty “thorn” gloves that would work perfectly around my newly planted very spiky barberry bush. A combo gift of some or all of these items, plus a garden magazine presented in a harvesting basket, makes a great gift.

By now, you get the idea there are many very useful and practical gifts that are much appreciated. For new gardeners, a must is a soil thermometer. Seasoned gardeners need a hand lens to help decipher what’s happening on the underside of a sick-looking leaf.

Every life needs a little bling, and I did find enough to make me wish for a money tree.

If you’ve envisioned yourself as a gentleman farmer — meaning you want to look at animals but don’t want to feed or water them — you might take a look at the stock housed at Eastside Gardens. Funky, colorful metal farm animals are in residence. You’ll find goat herds, flying pigs and everything in between.

Landsystems has a great collection of Oregon State University and University of Oregon themed garden items. Who knew there were garden gnomes in Beaver and Duck colors to guard the garden? You will get a sensory overload when you walk into their Christmas room, truly a fantasy land.

Steel Life is a Central Oregon company that designs contemporary-style planters. The steel planters are made in the Northwest and assembled n Central Oregon. The cone-shaped bowl sits on a hardwood stand and was designed for cacti, succulents and other drought-tolerant plants. The shape of the bowl eliminates the need for excessive soil and unnecessary water usage. The colorful, unique planters are available at Moonfire and Sun.

Don’t forget the live plants. Paperwhites, amaryllis, cyclamen, bonsai, succulents and planted terrariums help a gardener get through the winter months.

A paid tuition for OSU Master Gardener training may be on your gardener’s wish list. Classes begin Jan. 18. The application deadline is Jan. 8. For more information, go to http://extension.oregonstate.eu/deschutes/ or by calling OSU Extension at 541-548-6088

— Reporter: douville@bendbroadband.com