Holiday Gift Ideas for Gardeners

by Melinda Myers

It's time to begin tackling that gift list for the holidays. Consider gifting your favorite gardener something practical and attractive to enjoy for months and even years. No matter your budget, you can find the perfect gift to generate a smile immediately and throughout the garden season.

Stuff a stocking, pot, or decorative tin with small but essential items that are handy for any gardener. A can of twine that prevents tangling yet keeps it convenient is useful for securing plants, marking gardens, and much more. Include garden clips that secure plants, hold row covers in place, or serve as a third hand when tackling garden tasks. Every gardener needs a snip for deadheading and grooming flowers.

Encourage your gift recipient to stay healthy when gardening. Gift a water bottle so they are more likely to stay hydrated. This is more important than ever with the increase in extreme summer temperatures. Consider gifts that protect eyes and skin from the sun's intense rays. Add a container of sunscreen or a wide-brimmed hat. Include a pair of tinted safety glasses that provide UV protection to help protect their eyes from dirt, pollen, sticks, and branches when gardening.

Keep them gardening longer with items that protect their joints and muscles. Protect knees with kneelers or kneeling pads. The Burgon & Ball® Kneelo® Garden Kneelers and Kneeling Pads (coronatools.com) come in various colors that are easy to find in the garden or shed. Filled with a shock-absorbing foam sandwiched between two layers of memory foam, they will allow your gift recipient to garden longer. If they walk a lot in the garden, gifting kneepads with equally good cushioning and comfortable straps may be the better choice.

Encourage your gift recipient to protect and support their hands with gloves that fit, provide support, and are fashionable. Burgon & Ball® Love the Glove™ garden gloves come in various designs and more importantly, are durable and comfortable. The padded palm provides extra protection, and the two-way stretch keeps hands cool while improving dexterity. They are machine washable and don't get stiff after getting wet in the garden.

Add a hand pruner, a snip like the Burgon & Ball® RHS® British Meadow Fruit & Flower Snip, and a weeding tool to the gloves and set them inside a small bucket to place near the front or back door. You'll save them time looking for tools and allow them to take advantage of small blocks of time to weed, deadhead, or pick a flower bouquet to enjoy.

You'll also find many options for the indoor gardeners on your list. Look for a quality houseplant pruner designed for isolating the leaf or stem to be removed. An attractive indoor plant mister from Burgon & Ball® is available in stainless steel, charcoal, or stone. It fits any décor and the spritz to their plants will wash off dust, discourage insect pests, and boost humidity.

And the gift of time is always welcome. Offer to help with garden cleanup, planting, or weeding. Together you'll create new memories while accomplishing items on their gardening to-do list.

Gifting items that last will remind the recipient of your friendship every time they put it to work. And you'll be happy knowing you made it easier and more enjoyable for them to continue gardening.

Melinda Myers has written over 20 gardening books, including the recently released Midwest Gardener's Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses "How to Grow Anything" instant video and DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda's Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned by Corona Tools for her expertise in writing this article. Myers' website is http://www.MelindaMyers.com.