Q.  Do you have any gardening gift ideas for Father’s Day? 

A.  Unusual gift ideas are sometimes especially hard for the men in our lives. How about celebrating Father’s Day with a rare opportunity to canoe on the lakes of the Chicago Botanic Garden? How about offering to mow the lawn while Dad reads the morning paper or watches his favorite sports team? Birding dads may enjoy a bird walk at the Garden’s Barbara Brown Nature Reserve and perhaps a brand new pair of binoculars to take along.  Gardeners always enjoy plants, especially hard-to-find heirloom varieties. Gardening dads always appreciate tools to make their chores easier, such as a mini tiller-cultivator. Dads who enjoy cooking may like to take advantage of the Garden Chef Series taking place every Saturday and Sunday through October 4, at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. in the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden’s open-air amphitheater.