Practical or just pretty, these gift ideas help give a garden its character

Sunset, Dec, 1987

Practical or just pretty, these gift ideas help give a garden its character

Your garden's a place to relax in and enjoy as much as it is a place to work. Whatever the day calls for, well-crafted objects that add to its character can only enhance the experience.

Garden decor--if that's the word for it-- can be work boots and a watering can on the doorstep, a garden hat on the door, or windsocks fluttering in the breeze.

Here and on page 184, we show gift possibilities likely to please both the hands-in-the-dirt gardener and the sit-back-and-smell-the-flowers enthusiast. Most are available by mail. Many are also widely sold in local stores. In urban areas, you may find places that specialize in garden clothes, ornaments, and furnishings; more likely, you'll find these objects scattered about, offered by specialists in items such as antique reproductions, kites, or restaurant supplies.

Free mail-order catalogs from the following firms have a wide range of items similar or identical to the ones shown: Gardener's Eden, Box 7307, San Francisco 94120; (415) 421-4242. Gardener's Supply, 128 Intervale Rd., Burlington, Vt. 05401; (802) 863-1700. The Nature Company, Box 2310, Berkeley 94702; (800) 227-1114. Smith & Hawken, 25 Corte Madera, Mill Valley, Calif. 94941; (415) 383-4050. For hats and work clothing, try Banana Republic, Box 7737, San Francisco 94120; (800) 527-5200. (Prices given are approximate.)

Photo: Eighteen gifts range from $20 hat to a hammock for $50 and up. Look for hat racks, children's clogs, door stops, and mud scrapers in antique or garden stores; scoops at restaurant supply outlets; silk flowers for hat at florist. You can order everything else by mail

Photo: Not just for a rooftop, this metal weather vane trots 5 feet above a container garden. Similar models cost $110 and up at antique reproduction stores or by mail

Photo: Windsocks come in countless designs; they may look like flowers ($34) or have appliqued designs; from kite stores or by mail

Photo: Make music with Soleri bells ($20 to $450; $35 to $53 sizes by mail) or lyre-like chimes ($59 to $69)

Photo: Hose guides ($25 metal, $39 teak) protect plants at corners. Animal faucet handles-- like this quail--should be smooth but easy to grip ($28 to $36 by mail order)