Olive tree a gift idea for the gardener in your life

Do you know what people, plants and olives have in common?

This holiday season you can celebrate all three at once, thanks to a new offer from Lindsay Olives.

With each Manzanilla olive tree you order for the plant lovers on your gift list, you also give the gift of hope to needy communities throughout the world. Proceeds from olive tree sales go to the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to planting groves of edible fruit trees where they're most needed, from Native American reservations to hunger relief distributions in India and Kenya.

Since an olive branch is well known as the emblem of peace, an olive tree seems a particularly appropriate gift. The 36-inch-tall Manzanilla olive tree arrives tightly wrapped and in a burlap-covered plastic pot. You'll need to transplant it right away into the container of your choice.

An evergreen tree native to the Mediterranean region, the olive tree won't make it through a Midwest winter outdoors, of course. But it does make a fine winter houseplant, and it will also enjoy a summer vacation outdoors in full sun.

For now, I've got my olive tree growing in a bright window, where it's thriving. It's a handsome plant, with leathery, gray-green leaves. I'll have to wait for the small but fragrant white blossoms, followed by ripening olives.

Given enough bright light along with regular feeding and watering, Lindsay Olives says you can expect the 2-year-old trees they ship for the holidays to begin bearing in two to three years.

Each tree comes with a card that includes growing instructions, plus information about the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation (www.ftpf.org).

You can order a holiday olive tree ($50, plus shipping) online at www.lindsayolives.com or by phone at (800) 765-2029 through Dec. 31.

If you don't think an indoor plant is the right match for your favorite gardener, it isn't hard to come up with other ideas. Gardeners, male or female, are always easy to please. A new garden book with pretty photos or a subscription to a garden magazine is all it takes to jump-start any gardener's dreams of a new and better garden for the coming year. A gift certificate from a local garden center is always a winner, too.

Check out displays of new garden tools, especially those that are ergonomically designed for easier gardening.

Gardeners can always use more of products that get used up, such as a bottle of organic plant food or a bag of compost.

One of the most appreciated gifts my husband and I ever gave to a gardener was a pickup load of aged horse manure, delivered with a bright red bow on top.