Are you still looking for gift ideas for your gardener or nature lover? Here are a few suggestions.

"How Plants Work" by Linda Chalker-Scott is a concise science book written for gardeners to help them understand the chemistry behind many plant processes. It can be technical at times, but it is still very readable. I believe the more you know about plants and nature in general, the better a gardener you will be.

Throughout the book, there are sidebars covering gardening products or practices that you have probably seen and wondered if they work or not. Some do and some don't, of course, and Dr. Chalker-Scott points out what university research concludes.

Do you have a shady spot in your landscape where nothing but moss is growing? You keep trying to get rid of the moss, but nothing works. Well, that is probably because there is so much shade and probably soil compaction or other soil issues that prevent good plants from growing. Many mosses grow in direct sunlight, especially if they area is too moist or humid for other plants. Moss is not a weed or a problem; it is the solution to many landscape situations.

Mosses are better than bare soil where nothing else is growing. They can even grow on rocks. Mosses are an environmentally great way to fight erosion, filter water and reduce the need for pesticides — and they are fun to walk on in bare feet. Moss plants are rarely eaten by deer, rarely get diseases, don't need to be fertilized and don't need to be mowed.

How do you know which moss plants to grow and how do you grow them? I am glad you asked. Annie Martin has just published "The Magical World of Moss Gardening." The book has beautiful pictures and complete descriptions of dozens of moss species. It explains how to design and install a moss garden and how to propagate your own mosses.

Where can you get moss? If your landscape doesn't have enough moss, you could get some from the local woodlands, but that would be the wrong thing to do. Wild harvesting of any plant is probably illegal, and it wouldn't leave it in place as part of the native ecosystem. You can buy moss from several sources, such as Annie's own MountainMoss.com website. Mossacres.com is another source of all things moss.

"Planting In a Post-Wild World" by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West is a very interesting book on one of the current hot topics: sustainable landscaping. Thomas writes from a North American perspective, and Claudia from a European one. The book sets out the framework for changing traditional horticultural landscapes, so that they function as naturally occurring plant communities.

Very often, urban landscapes are hard to maintain. By studying naturally occurring plant communities, whether they are native or wild plants found in an urban vacant lot, we can learn how to make resilient landscapes that don't require as much maintenance. The book is not just a theoretical manifesto — it covers the design process and has detailed installation and landscape management sections.

The last idea is not just for those who wait until the very last minute. Try a gift certificate to Sunshine Farm and Gardens, which correctly describes itself as the home of uncommonly rare and exceptional plants for the discriminating gardener and collector. They have plants for and from all fifty states. There are many rare woodland and prairie plants, as well as more common garden plants such as Hellebores, but none of theirs are what could be considered common varieties.

Their normal prices are not high, even for rare and unusual plants. For Christmas their gift certificates are on sale at a discount, so the plants are even less expensive. Go to their website and look for the gift certificate link at the top of the page. The gift certificates have no expiration date and can be ordered as late as Christmas Eve.

Email questions to Jeff Rugg at info@greenerview.com. To find out more about Jeff Rugg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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Photo credit: Ruth Johnston