If you’re not a gardener, but looking for a holiday gift for a green thumb, the many horticultural products may overwhelm you. How to know what a gardener truly wants? Is it soil? Fertilizer? Plants? Tools? Nifty gadgets? Usually, all of the above.
For gardeners shopping for other gardeners, it goes something like this: one pair of pruners for you, one pair of pruners for me; one gorgeous
amaryllis bulb for you, another for me.…
Either way, the following gift guide will help narrow down the choices for you. Happy garden gift giving!
Amaryllis ‘Cherry Nymph’
Growing amaryllis indoors is a treat. The bulbs are ready to burst forth with gorgeous, really big blooms. Amaryllis ‘Cherry Nymph’ produces an enormous flower in a brilliant deep red hue. The blooms light up the house for six to eight weeks. The ‘Cherry Nymph’ comes with potting medium and a glass vase.
Barebones™ Garden Scissors
A good pair of all-purpose garden scissors is one of the most important tools a gardener owns. The Barebones™ Garden Scissors have a large, comfortable, ambidextrous grip. They’re great for gathering, harvesting, deadheading and even pruning roses.
As scissors go, they’re also pretty to look at. The insets are made of bamboo and the heat-treated stainless steel blades feature a blackened finish. The blades can be sharpened when needed.
Burpee’s Canvas Ornaments
If you’ve never seen vintage catalog covers from Burpee, you’re in for a treat. The seed company founded in 1876, dug into their treasure chest and created these canvas ornaments adorned with heirloom catalog covers. Each 3” x 4” ornament comes in a gift box.
Farmington Wreath
Every gardener dreams of making a wreath out of cuttings from the garden. And every once in a while, gardeners do pull off achieving that dream. More often than not, though, the cuttings gathered during fall cleanup end up in the compost pile.
Many gardeners will welcome this elegant 22-inch in diameter wreath. It’s made of lemon leaves and arranged with sprigs of millet, eucalyptus, pine cones and Sudan grass. The wreath is designed for indoor use.
Italian Herb Jar Kit
This handy herb jar trio allows the avid gardener and cook to enjoy fresh basil, parsley and oregano right in the kitchen. The brightly colored self-watering jars grow the herbs from seed. All the gift recipient has to do is fill the jars with water and the provided wicks; add plant food and seeds and wait for harvest.
Renee’s Garden Cookbook/Seed Collection
With this boxed gift set you get the
Renee’s Garden Cookbook and your choice of a seed collection. Choose from the Container Herb Garden, Rainbow Kitchen Garden or Container Vegetable Garden.
The 156-page cookbook includes recipes designed to be made from the bounty of the home garden. You can also take a quick trip to the grocery store for the necessary ingredients. The author of the cookbook is Renee Shepherd, who has been in the seed business for decades. All of the recipes are tested with produce from her gardens.
Tool Maintenance Kit
Veteran gardeners know that good tools require maintenance. This invaluable tool care kit features everything a gardener needs to keep tools in good shape.
The tool kit has linseed oil, which prevents wooden handles from drying out and is good to use when cleaning blades. There’s also a wire brush for removing dirt and a silicon-carbide whetstone used to keep a sharp edge on tool blades. All contents fit into an attractive 11” x 6” storage box.
Julie Bawden-Davis is a garden writer and master gardener, who since 1985 has written for publications such as Organic Gardening, The American Gardener, Wildflower, Better Homes and Gardens and The Los Angeles Times. She is the author of 10 books, including Reader’s Digest Flower Gardening, Fairy Gardening, The Strawberry Story Series, and Indoor Gardening the Organic Way, and is the founder of HealthyHouseplants.com. Her backyard is a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.
