10 gift ideas for the home and garden

Kermit the Frog singing "It's Not Easy Being Green" always rattles around in my head when I think about being the eco-friendly sort of green.

Well, Kermit may have had a hard time being green, but we gardeners do not. After all, every time we plant a tree, a shrub or flowers, we're helping the planet breathe a little easier.

Looking to the garden for gifts or for inspiration this holiday season is, well, only natural. As gardeners and as shoppers, we have in our yards the perfect opportunity to prove that we can live lightly upon the earth, that we can reduce our carbon footprint and help reverse global warming.

Pleased to see a high level of interest in shopping green this season and noting how important it is to reduce our carbon footprint, Jennifer Benito, director of outreach for Save the Redwoods League, said being green is a way to give back to our communities and to our future together. "Choosing a green gift – and it can be as simple as buying the most energy-efficient appliance you can find – is a way of showing you care about our future." Green gifts are good for everyone, she says, as well as the environment.

We've compiled a list of green ideas and hope this list inspires you to have a truly green Christmas, Kermit aside.

1. BUY GIFTS MADE FROM RECYCLED PRODUCTS:

VivaTerra, a mail-order company based in Colorado, sells "inspired green giving" gifts. These caught our eye: Vases and candlesticks that look like birch limbs are made from recycled aluminum. A large vase sells for $169, while the smaller one sells for $110. Another idea: bowls and platters carved from discarded root balls of Chinese firs. Each item is unique. Platters run $39-$59; bowls are $35-$95.

2. LEARN HOW TO LIVE GREEN:

The Green Guide is a quarterly newsletter that prides itself on being "the go-to source of information about practical, environmentally responsible and health-minded product choices and actions. By doing the research for you – and going into more depth than other information source – we remove one of the biggest obstacles to behavior change: not knowing what to do." The 12-page newsletter, published by the National Geographic Society, is available in print ($15 annually) and online ($12 annually).

Information: www.thegreenguide.com

3. SHOP FOR LOCALLY GROWN PRODUCE:

Peruse the local farmers market and put together a basket of locally grown goodies. Tie a red bow around the handle and add a few sprigs of cedar or rosemary.

4. PLANT A REDWOOD:

For a donation of $50 or more to the Save the Redwoods League, you can have a redwood seedling planted in a California state park. The league has partnered with California State Parks to cultivate and plant the seedlings. The saplings are returned to the same forest where seeds were gathered. Gift recipients receive a card and a photo of an ancient redwood forest.

"Once these fragile saplings are planted in a state park, they will always be protected so that they can grow strong and be still standing hundreds of years from now," said director Ruth Coleman of California State Parks in a news release. "In addition to providing shade and habitat, they reduce atmospheric carbon that contributes to global warming."

Information: www.savetheredwoods.org or (415) 362-2352

5. SHARE YOUR GARDEN:

The spent marigolds I neglected to snip off have gone to seed. Ditto the hollyhocks and cleome. So I collect seeds, put them in a tiny, decorative sack, and print up a card that tells about the seed. I now have a very personal gift that lets part of my garden live on in a friend's. Another friend starts dogwoods from seed and gives them as gifts.

6. GIVE A LIVING GIFT:

A rosemary topiary sells for about $10 at Home Depot. It can be decorated with tiny ornaments or pine cones for a living gift, then planted in the garden and enjoyed for years to come. Run your hand across its aromatic branches and breathe deeply. I guarantee it will make you feel good, help you relax and bring a smile to the recipient.

7. BE ENERGY EFFICIENT WITH HOLIDAY LIGHTING:

LED lights are the way to go, especially if you want lots of lights without the big electric bill. LED lights, according to the package, use 80 percent less energy that standard lights, last up to 20 years and are weather resistant. A string of miniature lights costs about $8.

8. SUPPORT GENETIC DIVERSITY:

Since 1975, the Seed Savers Exchange has been working to encourage and protect genetic diversity and give gardeners access to heirloom seeds. It started as a group of gardeners who saved and shared their heirloom seeds and has grown into a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. It maintains 25,000 vegetable varieties at its Heritage Farm in Decorah, Iowa, including 5,500 tomatoes, 4,500 beans, 2,000 peppers and more. You can order from its beautiful catalog, and become a member if you'd like to receive its valuable educational publications. A one-year membership is $35.

9. PLANT FLOWERS FOR AN ELDERLY FRIEND OR RELATIVE:

I have a friend who loves to garden but isn't physically able to do as much as she would like. The greatest gift for her is to pledge a morning or afternoon to help plant flowers or pull weeds. When we're finished, we have tea on the deck and talk for a while.

10. MAKE A GARDEN-INSPIRED HOLIDAY WREATH:

Look in the garden for wreath-making materials. Grapevines, rosemary, bay branches, olive branches, honeysuckle vines, sprigs of ivy, the list is endless. Choose long, pliable branches. Make a circle by twining the longest branch around itself, then twining the next branch around the first until you have the desired thickness. Decorate with nandina berries, Christmas ornaments, pomegranates or whatever you can glean from the garden. Use a glue gun to make sure stems stay where you want them.

About the writer:

• Call The Bee's Pat Rubin, (916) 321-1075.