The Martha Stewart of Gardening

The lovely wife that is Venus will take gardening to a whole new level in 2010.

Yep -- thanks to her rather sneaky husband -- it's no longer just "tilling the soil" in our North Natomas compound. It's backyard gardening -- "high society style."

Since when did gardening become high society? How about when I said it did? Good enough? No? You want more? OK. I got more.

As I was wracking ye olde noggin earlier this month in search of the perfect Christmas gift for my model-perfect wife (we always take a solemn vow to not buy each other anything and then wind up breaking it in the most imaginative of ways) -- I ran across a posting from fellow blogger Daffodil Planter.

I've always loved DP because -- not only does she live in the God's Country that is Nevada County -- she has a certain "flair" for the art of gardening. I've never considered growing heirloom tomatoes to be a work of art -- but she takes that simple subject to a whole new level.

In other words -- Bill Bird grows and eats heirloom tomatoes. DP -- on the other hand -- turns them into a Leonardo Da Vinci work of art.

At any rate -- DP was highlighting ten great gardening gifts for Christmas on her blog -- when I ran across the posting for the Dianne Benson (The Best From DianneB) Gardening Gift Bag. "Dianne Who," was my first thought? Followed closely by "Dianne What?" Who is this Dianne person and why is she intruding upon my garden?

But when I saw the bag pictured above -- and began to do a little background research about Dianne Benson -- a mischievious thought zapped the precious few electrons that are still permeating my skull. This was the perfect gift for the perfect wife. Why not give the best that gardening tools have to offer to a lady that can spend hours creating magic in the garden?

And so -- Bill Bird made the magic happen with the purchase of the Gardening Gift Bag and a set of Felco Pruners (which are EXTREMELY hard to find locally I might add). Folks -- you're not going to find this stuff at your local Home Depot. Nope -- these are some of those rare tools that aren't mass-produced in China. Nothing against that "Made in China" label -- but I was sure pleased to find out that something as simple as a gardening trowel is still "Made in America" or made anywhere else for that matter (Felco pruners are manufactured in Switzerland).

It's not just the label issue either. It's the guarantee that when you stick this spade into the ground -- it's not going to bend like a piece of rubber. It's not going to snap in two like so many of our tools have done. It's not going to rust, bend, break or fail in every imaginable way possible.

This is "gardening in style."

As I eagerly watched the wife rip into her main present on Christmas Day -- I must admit -- I was a bit disappointed with her initial reaction. "Dianne Who," she said? "Dianne What?" But -- as she slowly fit pieces of her collection into the "Dianne Benson Leather Gardening Belt," I saw this little grin slowly blossom into a wide smile.

As she was fitting pieces of the collection together just last night -- she began to understand. This wasn't a Louis Vuitton purse -- nor a pair of Prada shoes (not that she wouldn't love both). This was something better.

The Diane Benson Garden Gift Bag comes complete with the following:

1. The all-important "yard bag."
   
2. The "Ultimate Trowel"
   
3. Japanese Clippers
   
4. New Age English Twine
   
5. Never rust Lead Plant Markers and Magic Pencil
   

Throw in the Garden Tool Belt with the #4 Felco Pruners -- and you have a gardener who is ready and well-equipped for any garden challenge.

Check that -- and make it "garden in style."