Treasures from your own garden such as plant cuttings, saved seeds, herb-infused oils and vinegars, jars of preserves or pickles (to name just a few examples) are always wonderful gifts to bestow during the holidays. But your personal knowledge and experience — your “finds” — can also be treasured and priceless gifts.
Regardless of how long you’ve gardened, your knowledge can be invaluable to others, especially any new gardeners or homeowners on your holiday gift list. Consider giving them a copy of your favorite gardening book, a gift certificate to your favorite nursery or seed company or even a voucher offering your services as a gardening consultant. Or create and share a list of helpful hints and your go-to websites, blogs, podcasts and local experts for gardening help.
Another idea is to create a gift box (or a harvest basket or garden bucket) filled with your favorite brands of gardening gloves, tools, skin lotions, nail scrubbers, insect repellents, sunscreens and other items that anyone can use and appreciate. This can also be a great idea for children.
If you’re looking for a special gift that keeps on giving, turn to your hands-on knowledge of gardening gear. Those tools and gadgets that make your gardening life easier and more enjoyable may be just the thing that gardeners and nongardeners alike would love and use.
If nothing comes to mind, here are a few ideas for must-have, budget friendly and incredibly useful tools to get you started.
Hori hori knives: also known as a soil or weeding knives, these heavy-duty multipurpose tools feature long (typically 5 to 6 inches) concave metal blades with pointed ends and sharp sides (usually one side is smooth and the other serrated). They are perfect for planting bulbs, removing weeds (roots and all), harvesting root vegetables, dividing clumps of perennials, digging and refilling holes for smaller plants, creating trenches for seeds and even pruning small stems and limbs.
Snips: these little scissors-meet-secateurs, which come in several sizes and blade and tip shapes, are great for harvesting herbs, flowers, lettuces and other fruits and produce but also for deadheading flowers, trimming dead leaves and small stems from indoor and outdoor plants, opening seed packets and cutting string and twine.
Watering cans:hoses are terrific for irrigating most outdoor areas, but there’s nothing like a watering can for those times you need to gently water newly planted seeds and delicate seedlings, deliver just the right amount of moisture to houseplants and even refill vases without taking out a flower arrangement. They are available in a variety of sizes and styles, many of which are as decorative as they are functional.
Garden totes:these bags-of-many-pockets — a large main pocket and several side pouches for clippers, gloves, water bottles and the like — are ideal for organizing everyday gardening tools and toting them into the garden. They come in a variety of styles and fabrics but aim for ones that are water-resistant/water-proof and durable without being too heavy or cumbersome to carry.
Kneeler benches: while knee pads and mats make weeding, digging and harvesting easier on the knees, these small benches can make those chores easier on the whole body, especially for anyone with orthopedic or mobility issues. They typically feature a sturdy metal frame and padded cushion that can be used as a seat or flipped over to become a kneeler. And they can come in handy for indoor chores, too.
There are many other gardening tools that may make fine gifts for anyone on your list, so think about your own favorite finds and consider gifting one — or several — this year. As you shop, invest in higher quality and more sustainable items. They last longer, perform better and help protect the environment. A great way to find out which products are durable, well-designed and environmentally sound is to check out recommendations on the Gardening Products Review (gardeningproductsreview.com) and The Spruce (thespruce.com) websites.
And consider creating your own wish list or go ahead and get something for yourself. You can think of it as research for next year.
Katie Jackson is a freelance writer and editor based in Opelika, Alabama. Contact her at [email protected].
