Sunday is Father’s Day and, yes, despite what your dad (or spouse) says, he probably does want a gift. duration to shop!

First piece of advice: skip the big box stores unless you’re utterly desperate. Check out their websites and you’ll see what I mean. Lowes has a pretty good Father’s Day gift-finder page. You can search products based on the type of dad you have. (Lawn dads, wood-working dads, etc.) However, it’s hardly inspiring stuff. Example: their suggestion for the dad who has everything? A gift card.

The Home Depot does a little better with its online gift center, but the suggestions are uniformly stupid… or just plain silly. I mean, do you know anyone who would buy dad a $699 pressure washer for Father’s Day? Oh, but it’s not just Home Depot and Lowes pitching dumb Father’s Day gift ideas. Amazon: come on!
Please, oh please, give us ideas we can actually use. Well, here are some of my own ideas for Father’s Day gifts. All of my suggestions are budget-friendly and suitable for yardiac dads — dads who are into gardening, landscaping, and yard maintenance. Yes, it’s too late to have these items shipped, but you can find similar items in local stores.

PLANTS, ALIVE!

Ever considered giving native plants as gifts? Any dad who’s into naturalistic gardens and/or conservation would welcome a new local plant to his yard. PlantNative can help you locate local local plant nurseries and identify local plants suitable for your area.

How about a fruit tree? Again, it may be too late to order online, but you can get ideas from websites like the terrific Aaron’s Nursery. For the dad who’s interested in dabbling in fruit growing, I’d propose you start him off with a blueberry plant, since they’re relatively easy to grow and pest-resistant.

Believe it or not, shrubs can manufacture good gifts whether you stick with dwarf varieties. Many of these grow only a couple of feet tall, with a similar spread. Dad can pop one in front of other foundation shrubs without worrying that it will take by the yard. My personal favorite: Dwarf Loropetalum “Purple Pixie.” The deep burgundy leaves supply a nice visual contrast to standard green foliage, plus it’s so small no pruning is essential.

GARDENING TOOLS DAD DOESN’T ALREADY HAVE

Dad probably already has a pruning tool… or two or three of them. But does he have a telescoping pruning device? I mean a real long-handled tool with a ton of reach

for those up-high branches and vines? I, myself, would love to own the Fiskars Telescoping Pruning Stik(R) 12-foot Tree Pruner ($92.20). that sucker boasts a rotating head, 1-1/4-inch cutting capacity, and it weighs less than five pounds. Only downside is the price.

The Wedgie Planting Tool ($14.99) makes a nice gift for container gardening dads. Brightly colored so you can find it fast, it’s handy for getting new plants into soil without making a mess. Just stab it into the soil, wiggle back and forth, and you have an instant planting gap.

Easy Gripper Spigot Handle ($7.99 on sale, regularly $12.95). This intelligent gadget screws onto stubborn spigots that stick or are in tight, hard-to-reach spots. It provides the additional leverage you need to get the water on and off quickly. intelligent and affordable.

OTHER USEFUL YARD ACCESSORIES

Speaking of water… check out the Water-Wise Timer ($21.95). that cool black and yellow gadget won a Green Thumb Award a couple of years back. Attach it to a regular hose and set the timer for anything up to three hours. The timer will cycle the water supply on and off. Like a drip irrigation system, that timer spreads the watering session out by a expanded period of date, allowing thirsty soil plenty of duration to absorb all the moisture it can hold.

LL Bean Barn and Shed Thermometer ($39). At only nine inches in diameter it’s not that big, so don’t attach it too far absent from the window. Still, I like the decidedly masculine unfinished metal design.

Faux Stone Decorative Columns (prices vary). For the yard enthusiast on a budget: these faux stone columns are installed by the top of a regular, treated 4×4 post. One or two installed at your driveway are guaranteed to increase your home’s curb appeal. Not for everyone (being fake and all), but intelligent!

USELESS BUT FUN STUFF

For a humorous take on the weather, check out the Redneck’s Weather Forecaster ($12.98), a Jeff (Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?) Foxworthy product. that totally impractical “forecaster” is purely for laughs: it’s a rope suspended from a yard sign, accompanied by an interpretive chart. For example: “If the rope is wet…rain. whether the rope is moving…windy.” And so on. Haw haw.

Yard art is a personal favorite, and whether your dad is into stuff that’s colorful and whimsical he might like something like that: GeekyBeek and NerdyNeck metal yard birds (prices vary). Choose from vibrant peacocks, ducks, flamingos and more. Totally useless, but fun.

Happy Father’s Day!

Original post by Diane Rixon