Gifts for Gardeners

Whether homemade, reclaimed or store bought gift giving is personal and is, at its core, a wish for someone’s happiness — no matter the season. And, while it’s supposed to be fun, it can be a source of frustration and, let’s face it, wasted hours spent hashing out the best solution of what to give.

The 3 major hurdles:

1. What to give to a person that has everything and does’t need another “thing”.
2. Finding or making something unique as well as useful.
3. Giving a gift that brings joy both to the giver and receiver. 

I’ve pulled together a short list of gift ideas for people who love to grow things in hopes of making the job of gift giving a little easier. Reclaim your fun along with the perfect something for someone you love.

Tops on the list are vintage garden tools. They usually look as fabulous as they are to use and, unlike many goods you can find on the market today, they’re not planned for obsolescence but to last a lifetime. Look at your local antique store, thrift store or at Etsy and make what’s old new again.

You can never go wrong with a good book. I have two in mind this season, both for food lovers and food growers. The first is Vegetable Literacy by Debra Madison. It’s a gorgeously documented collection of 300 recipes using 12 edible plant families. It’s perfect for anyone that is kitchen garden, farmers market or simply fresh veggie obsessed and looking for new cooking inspiration.

Find it here: Vegetable Literacy: Cooking and Gardening with Twelve Families from the Edible Plant Kingdom, with over 300 Deliciously Simple Recipes

Another fabulous book is Ground Breaking Food Gardens by Niki Jabbour. It’s a collection of 73 kitchen garden plans with solutions for growing vegetables, fruits, fruit trees, herbs and nuts. These 73 plans are a look into the gardens of horticultural writers, thinkers and expert gardeners and designers. What I love about this book is the sheer number of garden design solutions for creating and growing gardens for eating and living. 

Find it here: Groundbreaking Food Gardens: 73 Plans That Will Change the Way You Grow Your Garden

Bee houses and bug hotels are the cool new thing in garden sculptures. They’re functional with a rustic appeal and, if designed well, provide shelter and even food for insects — add richness to the greater ecology of your gardens and local landscapes. Make your own or find one handcrafted from marketplaces like Etsy. This particular insect home is made by WudwerxUSA.

Succulents of any shape, size or planting design are always a crowd pleaser plus they’re carefree and easy to grow. I love these vertical, hanging planters that can be made with wire, recycled picture frames or reclaimed wood or find a finished product at your local nursery, craft fair or Etsy. This particular vertical planter is made by SoSucculent.

Another option is to make a mini planter out of a mint tin. See a how-to video or read this article and make your own.

The Rifle Paper Company makes stunning journals and sketch books which double perfectly as garden notebooks. Record plantings, harvests and collect drawings, ideas and inspirations in these beautifully made journals.

Dull clippers and other tools make garden chores far more laborious than necessary. Make someone happy, take the unnecessary work out of pruning and garden tending with this pocket sharpening tool. 

Garden Design Magazine’s quarterly publication is both visually stunning and idea rich. Find cutting edge design influences, beautiful imagery and inspiration for modern garden and landscape living. A subscription is a gift that keeps on giving.

Seeds are a wonderful gift for anyone, not just a gardener. Make wildflower seed bombs, give seeds you’ve collected using Grow What You Love seed packets or check out these curated collections of seeds by Botanical Interests, High Mowing Organic Seeds, Renee’s Garden or your local seed grower. Find seeds for flower gardens, food gardens, sprouting, theme gardens, companion planting and more.

Well wishes and fingers crossed! I hope this list is a fresh breath of inspiration as you adventure into finding or making that perfect something for someone you love.

*Note: I have not been paid to recommend any of the items listed above. While there are some links to marketplaces like Amazon, these gift suggestions are my personal endorsements for gifts and products I find genuinely valuable or have caught my eye. This list is generated based on personal experience and is designed as a starting place. There are undoubtedly many well respected tool companies, publishing companies, paper companies and books published that deserve recognition. Look for more suggestions in the future (twine, mini bud vases and Better Homes and Gardens will be next) or write to me or comment with questions.