Gift of gardening

This time last year, we talked about gift ideas for gardeners. I listed items like pruners, lopers, spades and scissors in varying sizes. Other possibilities included a tool caddy, knee pads, scissors and twine. Also noted were seed packets, garden art, house plants, bird feeders, garden journals and more.

Since Santa stopped visiting my doorstep many years ago and I don’t really need any more gardening items, my perspective has shifted somewhat. Instead of thinking about what someone could give me or a fellow gardener for the holidays, my focus has turned toward wondering how I might share my love of gardening with others.

I just completed a clinical skills in horticulture therapy class this semester through Kansas State University’s graduate school. I was continually reminded of the numerous documented positive outcomes that can occur with people plant interactions. Working with plants and plant material can have physical, psychological, social and cognitive benefits.

The focus of my final project this semester was a social wellness program working with youth. The goals were increased self-esteem, heightened sense of purpose and accomplishment, improved communication skills, and a sense of connectedness with nature and others. All of which was achieved while making a horticulture craft activity called bush critters.

So my bright idea this holiday season is to either create a garden related craft item to give as a gift -- or even better yet, share the making of said item with another person or group of people. The following ideas would be wonderful for people of any age and skill level, even those confined to a nursing home.

Bush critters. This was a super fun activity with children, because we went outdoors to search for and retrieve plant material that we then used in making our little critters. http://www.thecrafttrain.com/bush-critters/.

Nature suncatcher wind chimes. https://handsonaswegrow.com/nature-suncatcher-wind-chimes/. We have not done this activity yet, but are scheduled to do it next week. We have decided to modify this one to turn the suncatchers into Christmas tree ornaments.

Seed mosaic art. We did this activity using white foam core board and crayons to draw the basic design. This one was a big hit with the kids. https://www.firstpalette.com/Craft_themes/Food/Seed_Mosaic/Seed_Mosaic.html.

Leaf rubbings are also a lot of fun and easy to do, but you will need fresh leaves and not dried ones. https://www.firstpalette.com/Craft_themes/Nature/Leaf_Rubbings/Leaf_Rubbings.html.

For more ideas and inspiration, Denver Urban Gardens and First Palette have a lot of garden related craft activities on their websites.

Give yourself a gift this holiday season by spending time with others creating a fun gift as well as a cherished memory.

 Kelley Rawlsky has an M.S. in horticulture and is the director of Bringing People and Plants Together, an organization dedicated to bringing horticulture education and therapy to the community. For more information: PeopleAndPlantsTogether@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook.

Originally published in Broomfield Enterprise - Dec 10, 2017