A Few of Our Favorite Things

Posted in Shop/Book Reviews, Uncategorized on October 27 2010, by Plant Talk

It seems hard to believe, but the holidays really are just around the corner. We love the holidays here at The New York Botanical Garden. The holidays mean the return of one of New York City’s most cherished family traditions, The Holiday Train Show in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. It also means the arrival of beautiful new goodies at the Shop in the Garden, and on the Shop’s website. The selection of gifts in the Shop this holiday season is all about favorites, but they’re not just ours. We’re inviting some of the Garden’s most stylish, culinarily-minded, crafty, and green-thumbed friends to share a few of their favorite things with you!

So, take a spin around the Shop, whether in person while you’re visiting the giant pumpkins this weekend, or virtually. And if you happen to spot something that you’d like to call your favorite, you can use the “Tell A Friend” feature to give Santa a gentle hint.

So watch this space to see what some of your favorite bloggers will be giving as gifts this holiday season!

In the meantime, here are a few of my favorite things.

For the Gardener
This beautiful bypass pruner feels as good in the hand as it looks. It’s a slightly indulgent, yet fully functional piece of gardening hardware that will delight your favorite gardener every time she uses it.

For Kids
I think New York City is the most wonderful (emphasis on wonder) city in the whole world in which to spend Christmas. And after a few years of visiting me here just before the holiday, I think my nephews would agree. This book is a perfect gift because it lets them have a little piece of New York to dream about throughout this year.

For the Host or Hostess
Yes, it’s a little pricey, but oh my gosh! Can you imagine the look on the face of your favorite hostess when she opens this up? It’s so beautiful! What a gorgeous piece this would be on the Thanksgiving buffet, or twinkling amid dozens of little tea lights and glasses of champagne on New Year’s Eve! Simply stunning, and even more beautiful in person.

For the Reader
If you’ve got a birdwatcher who catches the early bookworm on your list, this is the book for him. Complete with avian musings from some of history’s literary giants, this delightful little book comes complete with blank pages so your favorite bookish-bird-beholder can jot in his own winged witticisms.

For Him
After a few years of struggling with our pepper plants, my husband and I have come to the realization that our back porch is a better microclimate for our plants than our backyard garden. These pots are so beautiful and will look gorgeous filled with his favorites: deep-purple Czech Black, the sprightly Hinklehatz, and stripey Fish.

For Her
When our parents got married, my step-sister and I bonded over ketchup (strange, we know). What better way to celebrate our friendship then, than with an artisanal, organic version made just miles from our hometown?

For Me
It’s as inevitable as tearing-up at the end of It’s A Wonderful Life, the holidays wear me out, and by December 20, I’ll be fighting a cold and hoping beyond hope that I’ll be well enough to not only attend Christmas dinner, but also help in preparing it. These bath salts, scented with the aroma of my favorite oranges in all the world, would sure help with the stress, and maybe even help open up my sinuses a little.