Gift ideas for Gardeners

 Got a gardener on your Christmas list? Give them gifts they can use to make their gardening hobby more enjoyable. Gifts such as a garden knife, a good set of pruners, a pair of trimming scissors, scoops and trowels and gardening gloves. 

For versatility, it's hard to beat a garden knife, also called a HoriHori knife. Once your gardener uses it, they'll want this multipurpose tool with them every time they work in the garden. A garden knife can be used for digging, weeding, planting, opening bags of soil or mulch, cutting garden twine and many other chores. 

A good set of pruners is another essential tool for every gardener. They'll use them to prune roses, perennials, shrubs and small tree limbs. Choose a quality bypass pruner for best results. Trimming scissors are good tool to have for some of the finer work in the garden, such as deadheading and light pruning. They are also useful indoors for keeping houseplants neat and trimmed. This is the tool we use at the 'Bin for all of our pruning and trimming chores. 

Garden scoops and trowels are useful for many tasks, including digging, weeding, filling pots with soil and planting. For the gardener who has everything, buy them a trowel and a garden scoop.  They will discover many ways to use these tools in the garden! Finish up your Christmas shopping for your gardener with a good pair of gloves and add a garden journal. These are Christmas gifts your gardener will really use and they'll think about you every time they do.  

Caring for your Flower Bin Poinsettia Plant

Poinsettias are native to Mexico and Central America. Poinsettias were introduced in the United States by Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. The Poinsettia we know today is a result of the significant contributions of Horticulturalist Paul Ecke Jr., whose innovations transformed the poinsettia into the country’s best-selling potted plant. 

Poinsettias have thin foliage leaves that vary in color from pale to dark green. The showy parts of the poinsettia that most people think of as flowers are specialized leaves, called bracts. The actual flowers are tiny yellow clusters found at the very center of the bracts. Poinsettias are available in a wide variety of breathtaking colors from solid red to variegated leaves. 

We also dye a few poinsettias for added color and interest. Our dyes are safe for the plant and people. Proper care for your poinsettia begins before you leave the store.

If you choose, we will gift wrap your poinsettia in foil and ribbon. We cut a drain hole in the foil on the plants we wrap so your plant will drain properly.  We will carefully bag your poinsettia when it’s cold, to protect it on its way home. Once you get your poinsettia home, unwrap it and place it in a room where it will get bright light, but not direct sunlight.  Poinsettias don’t like drafts, so keep your plants away heater vents, fireplaces, doors and cold windows. The ideal room temperature should be around 72°F during the day and no cooler than 60°F at night. Water your poinsettia thoroughly when the soil surface is dry to the touch. Poinsettias don’t like to sit in water, so discard any water that may collect in the saucer under the plant. With the proper care, your poinsettia will last through the holiday season and retain its beauty well into the New Year. At The Flower Bin, we grow all of our own poinsettias, so you can be assured that the plant you are purchasing is locally grown and of the highest quality.