A birdbath makes a wonderful Christmas gift. It can introduce people who’ve never tried to attract birds before to the joys of the hobby, and for people who already like birds, maybe even already have a birdbath, another one simply expands the collection.

A birdbath adds the ambiance of a water feature to the landscape without requiring pumps or filters. It doesn’t need anything more complicated than filling with a hose or bucket.

Birdbaths come in every imaginable style and material, from traditional circular forms on a pedestal to highly contemporary rectangles and squares. Some styles are even made to hang from tree limbs.

While old-style birdbaths were made in heavy materials such as concrete, many new birdbaths come in materials that look similar but are lightweight and can even be moved easily -- a boone for older gardeners. The synthetic materials resist cracking in temperature extremes.

In choosing a birdbath as a gift, think about where the recipient is likely to set it up -- garden, front yard, wooded cove -- and pick a style that will fit appropriately. Also, consider the kind of house the person to receive the gift lives in. A contemporary style of many angles, for instance, might seem out of place in a vegetable garden but would work beautifully in the lawn of a contemporary house. Your Growise Center experts can show you the many options available and help you choose a birdbath perfectly suited to the landscape it will fit into.

If you are choosing this gift for a new, inexperienced birder, by all means include a book about the birds of your region, and perhaps a feeder to locate close to the birdbath. Your Growise Center will help you pick out both.