Fruit-growing is the next big thing

A COUPLE OF WEEKS ago, I carried out an opinion poll of a few dozen of my fellow gardeners, by phone and Twitter. What is the one thing you would like to receive for Christmas, I asked? Well, besides the heartfelt pleas for someone to help with the heavy work, just about everyone wanted practical things. (One more aesthetically-inclined friend said that her dream present would be a piece of Irish sculpture for her garden, or a voucher from a gallery, so that she could chose for herself.)

There was a consensus that surprises could be risky, unless they were magnificent gestures such as a trip to London to Chelsea Flower Show (tickets are £47 for non-members for a full day, see rhs.org.uk/Shows-Events); or a garden-related holiday with a specialist such as Bay Garden Tours (thebaygarden.com).

General advice was that gift tokens, or tactful digging around for ideas in advance would be preferable to ill-fitting garden gloves and other infelicities. Properly fitting gloves are another matter, and there is one brand that beats the others hands down. Showa gloves are made from lightweight nylon, have rubber nitrile palms and are machine-washable. The Florea 370 range comes in bright tones of pink, purple, orange, green, blue and aqua. They’re not for thorny work, but are excellent for fine and fiddly stuff when you want to protect your hands (from Murphy Wood, Cabinteely, Dublin, tel: 01-2854855, €6.75; and dyg.ie: €8.95 including postage).

My research group were all in favour of Felco secateurs: the Swiss-made, top-notch pruning shears. They are not cheap, from around €29.95 to €69.95 from many shops (including Mr Middleton, Mary Street, Dublin 1, mrmiddleton.com and dyg.ie), but they last a lifetime, and all the parts are replaceable. Professional gardeners, and serious amateurs (myself included) favour the no. 2 model (€51.95).

Still on the subject of tools, stainless steel trowels and hand forks are widely available, cost around a tenner, and are always welcome as gifts. Copper tools have appeared in recent years and have a growing band of devotees. They are lightweight, strong and sharp, and slice easily through the soil (and the occasional crop-destroying slug, if needs be). Trowels (costing €30 to €33, plus postage) and other copper tools can be ordered from fruithillfarm.com and gscgardenservice.com.

Fruit-growing is the next big thing. New gardeners, having mastered the art of raising their own vegetables, are now turning their thoughts to juicier matters. The goji berry (beloved of health nuts), honeyberry (ditto) and blueberry (which requires acid soil or compost) are all chic as can be, and available from Mr Middleton: €13 to €15. If you’ve €50 to spend, and the gardener has only a small space, then consider a “family” pear or apple tree, with two or three different varieties grafted onto the same trunk (also from Mr Middleton).

For indoor growing, citrus plants are pretty and practical, although, if truth be told, not particularly prolific. In our climate, they’re more for the thrill than for self-sufficiency. Avoca in Kilmacanogue has a selection of lemons, kumquats and tangerines, from €38 for a small plant, to €400 for a whopping bush.

For a more down-to-earth growing experience, you might consider a mushroom kit. Slightly larger than a shoe box, these contain all that is needed to grow a crop of shiitake, oyster, chestnut or white mushrooms (€14.95 from Murphy Wood, and from Mr Middleton).

Several of my gardening friends hankered after a greenhouse, polytunnel or allotment. These are all magnificent gifts, and should probably be discussed in advance if you’re moved to such generosity. Greenhouse and polytunnel suppliers, incidentally, can be found on the garden.ie website. And while there is no comprehensive list of allotment sites in Ireland, you will find some detailed on allotments.ie. Your local garden centre may also be able to help.

Remember that rental on allotments is yearly, and varies from €180 to €500 for a plot in a private scheme. All the local authority allotment sites have waiting lists.

All gardeners are perpetual students of their craft, so the gift of further knowledge is always appreciated. A year’s subscription to the Irish Garden magazine costs €46, and yields 10 issues full of armchair gardening and advice, especially tailored to the climate and growing conditions on this island (irishgardensubs.com or tel: 01-2947712).

If your gardening loved one is a networking type, you could offer a ticket to the annual Garden and Landscape Designers’ Association seminar in the Botanic Gardens on January 29th. The main speaker is British designer (and eight-time Chelsea gold medallist) Tom Stuart-Smith. Tickets cost €95 for non-members (details from glda.ie, or tel: 01-2940092).