It has taken me many many years to get to a place where I can write this post from personal experience.  When my husband and I first met, I think he actually liked me (at least a little bit) for my yard-less apartment.  In his mind it trumped his house with a big high maintenance yard.   Our first house together, miraculously, had a postage stamp yard that was allowable only because mowing could be done with a weed whacker alone.   But now, 15 years (and a few acres of garden) later, I have slowly but surely converted my garden hater to someone who will actually appreciate a few good garden based gifts for the impending dad day.

Here are  6 fathers day garden gift suggestions….based entirely on what my husband would like receive.

Fagus sylvatica ‘reversii’ — closest thing we can get to atropurpurea. 

1) Fagus ‘sylvatica’ (atropupurea) – it’s huge and purple…I think its a guy thing. My husband has been wanting to plant one since our London days.

When I use Latin-speak I am frequently accused of making it up, but secretly the slightly nerdy language of plants is appealing when you are in on the gig.  I can see that Mr. ‘g’ kinda likes it when he actually knows a plant’s Latin name….and Fagus ‘sylvatica’ (atropupurea) has been a favorite.  Every time a purple tree crosses our path he says ” Is that a fagus sylvatica atropurpurea?”  – with all sorts of prideful authority.   So after this fathers day we will be able to have the ‘fagus’ discussion every time we come up the driveway.

Big interesting trees, are real winners and in 10 or 20 years, dad and kids will be able to point at the tree and say remember when we planted that?

2)Remember the sleep out birthday party when we hooked up a makeshift movie projector from the laundry line?  That night was a big hit and everyone is keen on improving the experience. The Camp Chef Outdoor Movie Theater Screen ($199) will certainly help with viewing quality and the fact the screen was sort of blowing around.

3) The Japanese Hori Hori Garden Tool ($32)….it’s the most bad-ass of gardening tools and I am fairly sure it will take out the most bad- ass of weeds (Poke) with out requiring use of a boring old shovel.

4) There has been no rest for the garden-weary around here….the old hammock has crumbled.   Time for a new one – Pawleys Island  Rope Hammock ($170).  Here’s hoping it lasts longer than the last ones.

5) Foraged Flavor: Finding Fabulous Ingredients in Your Backyard  ($25)- I have to admit, we already have this book, it arrived as a review copy the other day.  But since it has been sitting on my kitchen table for about a week, it has received more ohhs and ahhs from guests (and my husband) than any other review book I have ever received.   Going for a hike and coming home with dinner…such a cool dad-like idea.

6)  The only thing Mr. ‘g’ really cares about in the veg patch is the tomatoes.  He has this ketchup-making business fantasy — we haven’t had a bottle of Heinz57 in this house for a couple summers now as recipes are tried and perfected.  So in all ketchup making seriousness, we need serious manly tomato cages…. and we are going to fashion them from cattle fence.   If it can hold in cows, we are hoping it can hold up tomatoes.

image: Fagus Sylvatica by magnolia1000