Best Christmas gifts for gardeners: Top 35 present ideas for 2020, from plant pots to gardening tools
This year, even the most reluctant of us got our hands dirty, so here are some goodies for every grower.
Best Christmas gifts for gardeners
Clothing
The boiler suit...
Tending the borders never looked so glam, thanks to organic flower farmer Fiona Haser Bizony’s customised embroidery service by Kate Southward, who can add a flourish to this deep-pocketed cotton boiler suit by Kate Sheridan. From £210, Electric Daisy Flower Farm, electricdaisyflowerfarm.co.uk.
Toasty toes...
Made from highly breathable but luxuriously soft alpaca wool, these beautiful boot socks will add comfort to hours of gardening joy. Available with a green or cream embroidered sprig of thyme, £45 a pair, Thyme, take-a-little-thyme.myshopify.com.
Hats on...
For cool-headed gardeners, saving pate from sunburn and curls from the rain. The Failsworth Drifter hat is made of 100 per cent waxed cotton and comes in brown and olive, £25, williamevans.com.
Protect and serve...
With its 10oz cotton canvas, Italian leather straps and belt and Sam Browne studs and bridle clip, this Risdon & Risdon apron is made to last and comes with a lifetime guarantee to prove it. Available in a choice of colours, £155, Sir Gordon Bennett, sirgordonbennett.com.
For the indoor gardener...
Be upstanding...
Put indoor plants on a pedestal with a birch wood stand by Circa, a family workshop based in the Weald. The flat-pack kit simply slots together and fits most plant pots, so pop in your plant and position. £34.99, circamakes.co.uk.
Fancy pots...
Desktop gardens are officially in, and potting up this Monochrome Tiny Trio with cacti and succulents will please the designer eye and the purse and still leave room for a computer and telephone. Porcelain pots, £16 for three, roomforroots.co.uk.
Plant lives...
Inspired by natural aquifers, this handcrafted Geo H20 is ideal for the forgetful indoor gardener, as the ceramic planter plugs into the glass reservoir, which, filled with water, hydrates the soil as needed. Pikaplant Geo Self-watering Planter, £45, padlifestyle.com.
Nature's nuture...
Locally harvested nutrient- and carbohydrate-rich seaweed is used by slow-luxury home care expert Bella Middleton to hand-make an Indoor Plant Food to help your plants thrive. Plant food and atomiser set, £15.50, norfolknaturalliving.com.
Name it...
With an engraving service (up to 25 characters on each of the ash handles) included, there’ll be no need to wrap and gift tag these beauties. Luxe Copper Trowel and Fork set, £39.95, lovemygifts.com.
Read more: Best gardening books for Christmas 2020
Outdoor tools and accessories
Warm thoughts...
Keep spirits high, and social-distancing family and friends warm in the garden with an authentic, traditional Indian kadai; use it to cook food or as a fire bowl. Available in various diameters, from £495 for 80cm, burford.co.uk.
Cutting edge...
’Tis the season for pruning shrubs and trees, so, for the garden tech in the family, try Stihl’s cordless garden pruner, the GTA 26. Don’t let its dinky looks fool you; thick logs and branches melt beneath its 10.8V lithium battery-powered saw-chain hand tool. £149, shop.stihl.co.uk.
Dreamweaver...
Make room for a wise old bird – a hollow tree stump would be perfect. Made to order, Emma Stothard’s woven willow and wire Barn Owl £550, highgrovegardens.com.
Tender box...
Help small-space gardeners sow seeds successfully with this UK-made FSC hardwood cold frame with front and top door openings and two storage shelves, ideal for balconies and courtyard gardens. Rowlinson cold frame, £114.95, 01305 231231, cuckooland.com.
Bloom and boost...
Just like a productive garden, EcoGro’s gift box keeps on giving with a year’s worth of environmentally friendly, natural plant food – “Booster” for edibles and “Bloomer” for flowers – delivered six months apart. Order now to open box one on Christmas Day; £60, ecogro.co.uk.
Gather in...
Inspired by the movement of reeds and the hulls of boats in dry dock, Jane Crisp’s steam-bent ash trugs are as collectible as they are made to be put to good use in the garden. Medium ash trug, £210; large ash and brass trug, £295, derwenthouseliving.co.uk.
Stocking fillers
Sprout a tree...
With a spruce seed set in a capsule inside each of these sustainably harvested wooden pencils, when the stub becomes too small to use, simply plant it, let it germinate (within 2-3 weeks) and watch it grow. Sprout pencils, £10.83 for packet of five, shop.sproutworld.com.
Show-stopper...
For long-lasting blooms, the hippeastrum is hard to beat and with the bulb set in a wire basket and dipped in wax, a cool spot on a table or windowsill is all you need for a fabulous winter-long show. Amaryllis ‘Bordeaux’ and white amaryllis, £15 each, burford.co.uk.
Pretty bow...
Tying in, tying up or giving a bit of support, use natural raffia for a colourful alternative to traditional plant ties. Raffia, from £10 for 10 bundles, netherwalloptrading.uk.
Note to self...
Make it easy for the family historian to keep track of how their garden grows with this week-by-week Five-year Record Book, £15, shop.rhs.org.uk.
Sweet home...
Give a bird a home with this British-made nest of reeds and grasses. Nestle it into a hedge or shrub, somewhere the feathered resident will feel safe, and avoid pruning until September, when the nesting season is done. £6, toa.st/uk.
The gift of experience
Child's play...
Show them the wood and let them learn how to spot trees with this British Woodland Den Kit; includes a build-it shelter, fact sheet and notions to grow a sapling. Kit, £50, The Den Kit Company, thedenkitco.com.
Illustrated history...
Talented garden designer-artist Andrea Parsons’s beautifully detailed ink and handcoloured drawings record the story behind the making of a garden. To commission her, visit andreaparsons.co.uk.
X marks the spot...
Dedicate a Woodland Trust tree or area to your favourite person and make their woodland walks all the more meaningful. From £20 for a single tree, and from £250 for an area of woodland, shop.woodlandtrust.org.uk.
Floral delivery...
For anyone without a garden or who simply loves flowers, why not arrange to have a box of fresh, seasonal blooms delivered to their door thanks to Arena Flowers’ ethical subscription service? From £20 per weekly, fortnightly or monthly delivery, arenaflowers.com.
Kitchen gardener...
For the vegetable grower, be they lockdown novice or more advanced, Raymond Blanc’s one-day Grow your own vegetables course, £205 per person, will help them get the best from their productive plot. Visit raymondblanc.com to book.
Extra-special presents that are better by design
Treat a deserving gardener to professional design help in 2021. Many members of the Society of Garden Designers offer vouchers against a range of bite-sized services. Visit sgd.org.uk to find designers; here are some examples:
Hertfordshire-based varagardendesign.co.uk and Warwickshire-based bluedaisygardens.co.uk both offer Q&A sessions for all your nagging questions.
Blissgarden.design and jennyjonesgardens.com can help you design a border. Filixgardendesign.com offers personal garden coaching remotely.
South East-based greenoakservices.co.uk and rosiewilkinslandscape.co.uk in Surrey have vouchers for small plot designs and planting.
For edible plots, try Yorkshire-based northleeds gardendesign.co.uk.
Sussexgardenschool.com has “gifts of optimism” that focus on crafts, design, and planting; Cornwall’s greenshoots design.com offers vouchers for a pollinator-friendly border.
Hay fever sufferers might like jackieherald.com’s voucher for a low-allergy plant design, and for a wildlife garden, try annabutterfield.co.uk.
Dermotcowper.co.uk in Kent has consultation vouchers from £250. Stefanomarinaz.com’s voucher for a 200m-400m naturalistic border planting palette can be bought for £150.
