Dig in to Christmas

I know they say "a bad workman blames his tools", but really, any gardener - no matter what their prowess - can't do efficient…

I know they say "a bad workman blames his tools", but really, any gardener - no matter what their prowess - can't do efficient work without good tools. Top of every gardener's wish-list comes a Felco secateurs (£20-£50 in good garden centres). A leather holster (about £12) keeps it at-the-ready and safely by its new owner's side, away from little people's fingers. A Felco pruning saw (about £20) is a lethal thing, but essential for thick stems and smaller branches. It should never be used to lever recalcitrant weeds out of cracks in paving: for this a vicious-looking angleweeder is just the ticket (Mackey's, Sandycove, £18.95).

If there is a lawn-fiend in your life, he or she (although it's usually a he) will be well catered for by two Burgon and Ball weeding tools, a daisy-grubber and a long dock and dandelion gouge (Mackeys, £7.95 and £9.95). Meanwhile, a slick, stainless steel fork for aerating the lawn, turning compost and digging borders is made by CK tools (good garden centres, about £37). Fallen leaves on the lawn? Or worse (euphemistically known as "pet messes")? A Corrie "easy gripper" is a galvanised grabbing contraption, like a long-handled, double dustpan with a scissors-action (Avoca Handweavers, Kilmacanogue, £16.95). Not a thing of beauty, but it allows creaky-backed or squeamish gardeners to pick up without stooping.

If getting down to ground level is a problem for someone close to your heart, a long-handled (50 centimetres, telescoping out to 84 centimetres) Karrington trowel and hand fork might be the solution (Avoca, £7.95 and £7.75). And for those less-than-nimble types who absolutely insist on being at one with the soil, knee-protectors, kneeling pads or kneelers with grabhandles make it a little easier (widely available: about £8, £3 and £15).

You can even buy a kneeling pad for kids now, as part of a Little Pals "activity kit" (also containing a hand fork, trowel, and gloves) at Avoca Handweavers in Kilmacanogue (£9.95). The same shop has lots of kiddies' gardening equipment (induct 'em young!), including wooden-handled, child-sized rakes, spades and yard brushes (£6.95 each).

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Avoca's funky see-through acrylic watering can, in a range of sherbetty colours (£7.45) is suitable for all gardeners, big and small. It's just the thing for a contemporary apartment. So also is a shapely, geometric hairdresser's spritzer bottle (Hair and Beauty Suppliers, Drury Street, Dublin 2, £3.03). It's my cool-looking alternative to those lumpen, florid plant misters that are too ugly to sit on the window sill. More sleek design comes in the shape of a huge thermometer (Avoca, £26.95), a must for gauging whether it's time to swaddle tender plants or de-ice the fish pond.

Chairs that can move gracefully from kitchen to patio or balcony are a welcome gift for those with compact living arrangements: the folding Lorelei chair (Habitat, £35) has a powder-coated metal frame and translucent polypropylene slats in blue, orange or white, while the Parc (Habitat, £29) comes with a galvanised frame and beech slats. A folding, oiled teak Scout table can stay outside in all weathers (Habitat, £39). Matching stools cost £22 each.

Chances are that someone you know has recently become the proud owner of a topiarised box sphere, pyramid or spiral: the tool for keeping these in shape is a Burgon and Ball shears (Mackeys and Formality, Dun Laoghaire, £19-£24). A graceful, long tom pot has just the right elongated dimensions for topiary pieces. Kiltrea Bridge Pottery in Enniscorthy make them in traditional terra cotta and ochre "yellow-ware", from six inches to 23 inches in height (Kiltrea shop, £5£100; seven-inch to 13-inch sizes available from Mackeys, Kilkenny Shop and Arnotts Dublin; Barker's, Wexford; Meadows & Byrne shops, £12.95-£34).

And as keeping plants in check seems to be all the rage now, a dunce's hat climbing frame and cylindrical container in silver-sprayed metal will keep potted jasmine, ivy and other unruly subjects in good training (Formality, £35, £55 and £75). The rustic version - for sweet pea, morning glory and runner beans or for much-needed winter structure - is a willow wigwam (Mackeys, £8.50, £15.95 and £19.95). A ball of excellent gardener's twine, made by a women's collective in Bangladesh, will keep plants securely in place (Oxfam, £1.69). Hose guides in polished aluminium (this season's must-have material) stop errant hoses from snagging best borders (Formality, £29.95 for three).

Potted herbs, bought in supermarkets for a quid or two, are a mainstay in many kitchens, but how often do they dry out and wither before their time? Snappy, angular containers, in either glazed terracotta or polished aluminium, conceal the plastic pot, and as there are no drainage holes the plant stays moist longer (Formality, £8.95 and £14.50). The same shop carries Irish-made wall planters by Ceadogan Ceramics; budding gardeners will appreciate the moulded-relief grotesque faces, while others may prefer the peaceable doves (£49£55). And again, at Formality, a gloriously over-the-top Victorian-style hanging basket (£45) should keep the most majestic gardener happy. Include a package of seed of "Victorian Pansies" or "Timeless Nasturtiums" from the Classic Seed Collection (Avoca, £4.95; "Van Gogh's Sunflowers" and "Elizabethan Primulas" also available).

Is there a gardener out there who doesn't welcome birds into his or her patch? Minimal spiral feeders (for scraps, fat and fruit) come in festive green or red (Avoca, £3.95) and peanut cages have long spikes that stick straight into the lawn or border (Avoca, £9.95). Most garden centres now carry bird feeders and food - with Mackeys and Phoenix Park Garden Centre having particularly good selections.

Gardeners just love to get really dirty, but even more, we like to get clean. Preferably in a long, soaky bath. Fragrances of Ireland (perhaps you've seen their gorgeously romantic lavender field in Kilmacanogue?) make a rejuvenating lavender bubble bath and bath oil (Avoca, Kilkenny Shop, department stores and some chemists, £6.95 and £6.60). Crabtree & Evelyn, meanwhile, has a whole rake of gardener's products including bath soak, hand cream, and scrub bar with pumice (Malahide Nurseries, Clonee Nursery, Mackeys, £7.95, £7.95 and £5.95).

Lush products (17 Castle Lane, Belfast), are made with fresh ingredients and few preservatives. Slightly abrasive "Truly Madly Veggie" soap, which comes wrapped in wax like a green cheese, has mushy peas and potatoes in it, as well as healing rosemary and lavender (£5.50 sterling). Lush "Helping Hands" is a rich, softening hand cream (£3.55 sterling).

Gardeners' hands are one thing, but what about their feet? Fake-fur-lined Montana boots (Mackeys, £31.50) should keep them warm and dry, while gardening wellies and shoes (Clonee Nursery, £17.95 and £14.95) will keep the worst of the mud at bay.

Clonee Nursery and Malahide Nurseries (both in the process of changing their names to "Gardenworks") also have the lovely Royal Horticultural Society's address book and diary, both with 18th-century botanical illustrations by Johann Gesner (£15.95). Cards depicting 18th-century botanical collages by the fascinating Mrs Delany (she didn't start making them until she was 72) are available by post from The Friends of St Patrick's Hospital (James's Street, Dublin 8, tel: 016775423 ext. 632, £5 for pack of six).

For those whose garden Feng Shui is all out of whack, or if they just fancy some gentle sounds, then a set of temple bells (Mackeys, £32.95 and £46.95) should fill the void. And as for light in the garden - the obligatory fourth dimension these days - a tabletop globe lantern will provide a gentle swinging glow (Avoca, £24.95). But for light that is both gentle and elegant, top of my list is sculptor Gerard Cox's "Lantern of Joy" (tel: 01-2691455, £750). A simple night light emanates a comforting, amber ripple on the darkest winter night.

Jane Powers can be contacted at: jpowers@irish-times.ie