Great Gifts for the Gardener

Great gifts do two things. They show you really put some thought into it and they give the recipient something they may not have bought for themselves. If you can check both boxes, you’re golden. But when you’re not a gardener and have a gardener on your shopping list, how do you decide what to buy? Well, that’s where I come in.

I picked a variety of gifts, all of which I have personal experience with in my own garden and feel confident in their quality and craftsmanship. Ok, that’s not exactly true. The personal experience part, not the quality and craftsmanship. I’m secretly hoping my husband will read this post and give me a rain chain. More on that later. All kidding aside, I chose things for a variety of budgets and interests, all with a gardening/landscaping vibe to them. I would be happy to find any of these under the tree or in my stocking and I hope your gardener will too.

House Bling

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First, a disclaimer. This is slightly out of self interest that I post this first in the off chance that my husband (I’m trying to be subtle but failing miserably) should lose interest in reading all the way to the end of this post. Please know, it’s placement in no way diminshes the gift selections that follow.

Now, about the rain chain. I can’t think of a better way to dress up an ugly downspout than to remove it entirely and replace it with a pure copper rain chain. Good Directions is an American company making gorgeous, pure copper rain chains, weather vanes, and other garden decor. Available in two finishes – verdigris copper and shiny copper – there are several designs as well as anchoring basins and gutter clips for attaching the chain.

The chains are 8.5 feet long and perfect for beautifying an entrance. (Mark, if you’re still reading, I LOVE the pure copper crocus chain.)

Garden Bling

This beautiful glass garden bird is the work of American master glass sculptor Neal Drobnis from Caste Glass. I don’t have any in my garden, yet, but these came to my attention on the feeds of several gardeners I follow on social media. Display them indoors or out mounted on the copper pole included with the birds that come in several sizes. Various pole lengths are available upon request.

For the Bird Lover

Speaking of birds, how about a wreath feeder? Peanuts in the shell are a favorite among blue jays and woodbeckers. This one’s from Wild Birds Unlimited and currently hanging from my pergola. It’s been relocated several times on account of squirrels. They’re nuts (no pun intended) for these and haven’t figured out how to reach it. Yet. Perhaps it’s just a matter of time, in which case I may have to buy a squirrel baffle.

A Watering Must-Have

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I LOVE Dramm’s Quick Connect garden hose fittings and have these sturdy brass fittings on the ends of all my hoses and watering accessories. They eliminate the hassle of constantly threading and unthreading nozzles. Simply pull the collar back on the hose end to connect or disconnect a nozzle. It’s an inexpensive and incredibly useful stocking stuffer.

Great Tools

I use these little stainless steel snips from Corona Tools to harvest things like herbs and lettuce in the garden. They’re comfortable in hand and work with righties and lefties. I keep them in the kitchen so they’re easily accessible for my evening trips to the veg garden.

Save your knees and your back with a Power Planter bulb auger (drill not included). This is a great drill attachment for the gardener who plants hundreds of bulbs every year. Soil augurs come in various lengths, the longest ones eliminating the need to kneel or squat. The tool does all the work of digging, while the gardener simply plops a bulb into each hole.

For the Book Worm

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I love reading about the experiences of other gardeners, the big and small things they discover about their gardens, themselves, and the world around them. Both of these books do that but in very different ways. Page Dickey’s book, Uprooted, explores the rationale behind the author’s decision to go big with her new garden when most would choose to downsize.

Tallamy’s book, Nature’s Best Hope, explains how homeowners can create conservation corridors in their own backyards. I rarely buy books, most come from the library. But these have found a permanent home on my shelf.

More Plants!

So this is a no-brainer as no gardener would ever refuse the gift of more plants. Give them a gift certificate to their favorite garden center (if you know it) or shop online at these reputable mail-order nurseries for a gift in the denomination of your choice. I can vouch for all of these. Simply click on each image to take you directly to their site.