What do you give the gardeners in your life for Christmas? There are plenty of options out there, and we’ve curated a whole bundle of ideas so that you can find the perfect gift for them…
Click on the photos to find out more about each item and how to buy it, either from our online shop or elsewhere……
What was your best Christmas present last year? Mine, by a country mile, was a Stihl cordless pruner. I mention this because there is no better present for a keen gardener than a high quality
Or how about treating the gardener in your life to something their day-to-day budget might not allow for such as a Monty Don’s signature perennial spade – you hardly ever see him without one!
If you prefer your gift to look slightly more gift-like but still be high quality how about this trowel and dibber double-act that comes gift ready in an attractive box.
You’re right of course, Laura, that proper gardening requires proper tools, and I have certainly requested border spades and the like over spa days or something from the lingerie department in the past. But there is a whole raft of horticulture-related goodies, which tick the ‘practical’ and ‘gift-giving’ boxes, while not being quite so serious.
Kitchen and homeware. Many gardeners are also good cooks, keen to make the most of their home-grown produce. I’m the exception (in fact the polar opposite of Master Chef) but I’m good at washing up. We’ve got some great
Gardening extras. I bet there’s barely a gardener in the country who wouldn’t be glad of an assortment of the extras (actually, essentials for many!) Some lovely cosy socks might be appreciated, or new gardening gloves? A set of plant-labels, a little sharpening steel, a widger……Then what about something to carry them in, keeping them all safe and easy to find? A small tool-bag with pockets, or a waterproof waxed bag, maybe?
That’s your allotmenteering uncle sorted right there, isn’t it?
Books and cards Like many gardeners, I have an embarrassing number of books on the subject. We are incredibly proud of publishing a small beautifully-produced book called ‘A Plant for Each Week of the Year’, featuring 52 of Louise Sims’ wonderful ‘Plant of the Month’ profiles and spanning a year of fab plants. The photography is gorgeous and the description is so clear and personal that you have no doubt that she REALLY knows and grows that particular plant. Word is obviously getting out, we’re on our fifth reprint!
We also have a little spiral-bound book with a foreword by Fern Britton about novice veg-growing. It was brought out in response to the stupendous support we got for our campaign to help people new to gardening during the pandemic in 2020. It would make a great stocking-filler for a veg-newbie!
Add a pack of gorgeous cards (blank inside) to your gift. We were very lucky to have local artist Lyn Sweetman design ours exclusively for us (you might decide to frame them rather than give them away…..!)
Houseplant kit. Houseplants have enjoyed a MONSTER surge of interest in the last few years. Every good garden centre will have a range of plants, so what about supplying some nice pots and tools (and maybe a voucher to go and buy the plants?) to give someone the motivation to get something growing indoors. Here’s an idea – pre-plant some of our little Liberté pots to give as fully-formed pot plants. Team these pots with some gorgeous little houseplant tools, mini-snips or a pretty indoor watering can (many are charming enough to be ornaments in their own right!) and your plant-mad best friend will love you forever.
I know you didn’t have me down to be the sensible one but spurred on by the RHS’s findings in their ‘State of Gardening Report 2025’ this week (link at the end), I’m keen to give gifts that support wildlife this year.
For a special gift consider a Finches Friend bird feeder. Considerably more upmarket than my basic peanut dispenser, these are designed to be easily cleaned, and to prevent the spread of disease among finches. This is a bird feeder ‘with knobs on’.
And there are few pleasures to compare with seeing birds pop in and out of a refuge you provided for them even if, as I have, you’ve put them in rather hopeless positions (south-facing and exposed). Rather than the usual wooden nest boxes, take a look at the very popular wren houses and roosting pots in our shop. They’re just a little bit different – and a little bit gorgeous.
Finally on this topic – did you catch dear Monty using woolpots in a recent edition of Gardener’s World? We’re pretty evangelic about ditching plastic pots and using bio-degradable woolpots instead. A couple of bundles of woolpots in a Christmas stocking is just the thing to introduce your gardening friends to the future of ‘potting-on’ without plastic.
So now you’ve shopped for everyone else, if you’ve been really good girls and boys, you’ve got our permission to ask Santa for gardening trousers from Genus Gardenwear, or RHS approved boots from Muck Boot. Explain that they’re tools for hard work (keep the bedroom mirror self-admiration for a private moment), and a word to the wise – if you type in 3BAGS15 at the Genus checkout you’ll get a WHACK off, and the Muck Boot Black Friday sale ends on Monday (1 Dec).
There are loads of money-saving deals around just now so try not to pay full-price for anything. Here are some good’uns we’ve found. And have a look in our own shop here – a lot of our stock is still at 2023 prices.
This little-known evergreen perennial is a real joy in frosty weather, giving pleasure long after its summer flowers. What is it? Read on!
Nothing says ‘I’m in control’ more than having a pot planted up specifically for winter on your doorstep. Elaine explains it’s actually dead easy and you may even convince yourself you’ve ‘got’ winter this year. Go for it…
Here is the link to the RHS State of Gardening Report,
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