I’ve had a long term relationship with the Lee Valley catalogue, when a new issue shows up I can’t wait to pour over its pages (the fabulous, adjustable, stainless steel hanging cables I wrote about back in 2013 came from Lee Valley). So, you can imagine I was rather excited when I learned the opening night bash of the 2015 Garden Bloggers Fling would be held at their downtown Toronto store…(this is where I would insert a photo of the store, had I thought to take one)…
Of course I was conflicted. I wanted to shop, but there were all these people that I hadn’t seen for a year (or ever – there were lots of new bloggers this year)…what’s a girl to do? Well I have to admit the people won. I gratefully noshed on their delicious appetizers, sipped their tasty beverages all the while chatting chatting chatting. Before heading back to the hotel I grabbed my swag bag and learned we’d been given a $50 gift card, oh my!
Not wanting to jump into a quick purchase I waited until I had time to pour over the online catalogue and evaluate the possibilities (in other words: shopping in my pajamas!), here's the short list of things I considered...
Any gardener can always use sheers, snips and pruners. These bonsai trimming shears were tempting...not that I would use them for bonsai of course.
Felcos, they say there's nothing better...
And then there's this: Magnifier tweezers, how bad do I need these! You have no idea.
Andrew suggested this cool downspout trellis a few years ago when I was looking for a place to grow the Clematis tibetana var. vernayi. That plant would have swallowed this up in a matter of minutes, but a nice (hot hardy) Passionflower would be perfect.
I've also dreamed of owning their tomato spirals. All I can find locally are green ones, I like the shiny steel ones!
These "all-purpose" hooks are inciting too...
And so are these swivel hooks...
So here's my shipment just minutes after it arrived. Any guesses as to what I chose? There's a hint just to the right...(the biggest tomato plant I've ever grown!)...
Tomato spirals!
And the swivel hooks, because it's annoying when you hang up a heavy planter and it insists on turning (just a little bit) so the plant you want to be in the front is not.
Nothing went to waste, even the box was enjoyed.
The spirals at work...
I believe they're supposed to go up the center of the plant but since mine has heavy arms going out in every direction (they outgrew the tomato cage) I figured I could put them to use in a supporting role there.
And...(this is very exciting), the ends have holes...
Just the right size for my solar lanterns!
Since the privet was removed I haven't had anything to hang them from. Now they can go anywhere.
The generous folks at Lee Valley also gave us these soil tools (Lila for scale)...
And my new favorite gardening hat. Thank you Lee Valley! I'm curious, if you were at the Fling what did you spend your gift card on? If you weren't there what would you have spent $50 on?
Postscript: Check this out, Lee Valley is also doing right by their employees: "Through his company’s 35-year history, Leonard Lee, founder of Lee Valley Tools, has ensured that the highest-paid worker never makes more than 10 times the wage of the lowest-paid worker."..."In the U.S., the typical CEO at a large company earned 354 times more than the average worker last year"...read more here. And thank you for the link Linda!
All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.