by Pam Waterman

Don't even think of going out in the garden without putting on a hat. That's the latest advice from doctors concerned with our increasing rates of sun exposure. Ongoing sun exposure, as we've all learned to our dismay, eventually leads to skin cancer in almost half the U.S. population, experts tell us. Much as gardeners dislike the bother of a hat, in our sun-drenched climate, the protection a hat offers is a necessity rather than an option.

If you're not used to wearing a hat on your garden forays, it's time to learn. Use the slow days of winter to shop for a panama straw hat that feels comfortable on your head. As important as comfort is, finding a panama straw hat that fits your personality is equally important.

Some tidy types will want a panama straw hat that's presentable. Others care little about the looks of a hat and want only the protection.

As a long time gardener I've accumulated an assortment of panama straw hats, none of which I liked very much. Last spring I got a Panama hat from Pantropic, a line distributed by wholesale garden giant, Monrovia Nursery. Now I understand why Panama straw hats are so prized. This panama straw hat is as light as a feather and doesn't make my head sweat.

Panama straw is one of the most durable and flexible straws in the world. Throughout many villages on the coast of Ecuador, weavers sew by hand the straw from the bleached leaves of the Toquilla Palm into these panama straw hats. The weavers begin at the crown and work in a circular pattern to the brim.

They're called Panamas because the 49ers of the California gold rush crossed the Isthmus of Panama in 1849 and acquired these panama straw hats as protection from the tropical sun. Even though the palm leaf is from Ecuador, the name Panama straw hat stuck.

I used to wear a gardening hat only on the days when I planned to be outside for hours. Now, I don't mind putting on my new Panama straw hat for shorter gardening sessions. It has a leather gaucho-style cord which allows me to push it off my head when I go inside.

My Pantropic Panama straw hat is for sale on various Web sites. One retailer, Village Hat Shop, sells it for $42. Another retailer, Sierra Trading Post, also offers the panama straw hat, usually for a lower price.

Gardening hats run the gamut from the purely functional to the purposely whimsical. You can attach ribbons and flowers or other decorations on your hat, but you won't make it any more useful for keeping the sun off your face. A good gardening hat should have a wide brim and offer sufficient coverage for your ears and neck. And fit is very important. Make certain the hat feels comfortable.

Another natural material used in garden hats is raffia. The palm-like plant that produces raffia grows in Madagascar and China. The leaves of the plant are shredded and dried, then prepared into strands for weaving.

Raffia hats are heavier than Panama hats because the density of the fiber is heavier. More gardeners wear raffia hats since they are typically less expensive than Panama straw hats.

A third group of garden hats is manufactured from cotton. But unless the hat is designed properly, the thickness of the fabric makes a cotton hat hotter than those made of palm fibers. Web based retailer Orvis offers a good looking, wide-brimmed cotton hat that has a breathable mesh band. It's a little pricey at $39 but gardeners who want to look their best might consider this hat.

A cotton hat that would be perfect for expeditions in the garden is offered by pophats.com. The company periodically runs sales on their cotton hats for half price.

Where to find gardening hats? Most independent garden centers sell hats. Strangely, they often allow stock to get low in the winter as if gardening were a summertime activity; fall and winter is the time when gardeners in Southern California are spending a lot of time outside in the cool, bright weather preparing their gardens for spring.

Armstrong's Garden centers stock hats from San Diego Hat Co. in a range of styles from $20 to $30.

Burkard's Nursery in Pasadena carries a large variety of garden hats as does Smith & Hawkins. But any hat with a wide brim that protects your face and neck qualifies as a garden hat as long as it's comfortable.

I also have the area's most unusual garden hat. It's a stiff brimmed round hat with a cloth veil on the edge. A friend who recently returned from Hong Kong found this hat worn by farmers in southern China. When she spotted one for sale in an out-of-the-way village, she felt it was perfect for me. It's much too exotic to wear in the garden. I'm saving it for special occasions when my gardening friends and I get together and want to have a good laugh.

What's the difference between a sun hat and a gardening hat? Sun hats are gardening hats worn by fishermen, birdwatchers, and hikers. Most Americans got the message that repeated sun exposure is as dangerous to their health as second hand smoke. Everybody seems to be wearing a hat, gardener or not. If you're not already protecting yourself, find a hat that pleases you, put it in a convenient spot so that each time you go out to garden, your hat is on your head.