Being a gardener, and partial to the odd gift, I like to think myself someone who knows a thing or two about Christmas gifts for gardeners. But I’m amazed at how often we all get it wrong. Over the years I’ve received some great presents: a pair of apple trees, a greenhouse (that sadly got stolen), a wonderful bright yellow tub trug, an orange tree, and an incredibly sharp gardening knife. But I’ve also received some horrors, one of which was so bad I took it back to the shop and exchanged it for an ironing board (sorry sis).
So what makes a great gardening gift? Well, I do think a little gardening knowledge goes a long way, as does knowledge of the person you’re buying for. Just because a person likes gardening doesn’t mean they like begonias, or pink frilly gardening gloves, or indeed gardening gloves at all. And a bit of common sense doesn’t go amiss – I once bought my dad an electric strimmer for his allotment, but there’s no electricity at the site. (He loves it though – he keeps it in his garage and occasionally gets it out and looks at it.)
If you want to buy a gift for the gardener in your life you can pretty much guarantee that they have plenty of brown plastic pots, a decent pair of secateurs, some hand tools and lots of packets of seeds. There are loads of websites with stylish gifts that would be hard not to love, both for ornamental and practical use, but it might be worth asking the intended recipient first. And if you’re really stuck, you can always buy vouchers.
What’s on your Christmas wish list for the garden?
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Following a suggestion I thought I’ll get some blackthorn,in time we’ll have copious sloe gin.Rang the local garden centre “Oh about £2.00 for a couple”.My wife came home with 12 for £2
RESULT
Somebody to promise to give a hand with bramble eradication in the spring!
more help in the garden, I have one friend that gives me one day in the garden for my Christmas presant and it is the best presant anyone could give me so if any of my family read this, that is what I’d love this year spread over next year. Happy Christmas every one. thick snow out side!!!
I do like getting seeds for Christmas, I tell my family to get me vegetable seeds, and then grow whatever I get. Because I get them at Christmas, it is nice to spend the days in the run up to new years planning my veg beds.
Merry Christmas everyone, happy 2010!
i wish….hoping for wellies with no holes!
I want a hedgehog for christmas – or better still a whole family!
I just need a truck load of plants. And a small tree. And some birds to visit my feeders! Santa??
Good gloves rings a bell with most gardeners. I was disappointed when the brand I had been using, which supplied a thorn proof green glove dropped it’s quality possibly for accountancy reasons. Since then I have had a delivery from Protec of a winter builders glove which is straight from Santa’s workshop. Thorn proof, warm, almost waterproof and only a couple of quid. However you do have to buy a pack of twelve. Just the thing for a group to buy down on the allotments.
Kate
My father and I only ever give each other books for Christmas (apart from the deer-stalker, but that was just a big mistake). These are usually wildlife-related, and occasionally the odd gardening book gets given. A few years ago I received a copy of ‘Permanent and temporary pastures with descriptions and illustrations of leading natural grasses and clovers’, 5th edicion, published in 1895. OK not very garden-sounding, but it was written by Martin J. Sutton, grandson of the founder of Suttons Seeds. Apparently, as well as joining the family firm he made a name for himself as an agricultural scientist. The book is full of charming information about cows preferring meadow fescue over cock’s-foot, and how timothy luxuriates in clay districts. The real beauty of the book, though, is in its 23 exquisite black and white engravings of grasses, each an artistic masterpiece.
Wow, that sounds amazing Richard. What a lovely gift. And I can empathise with wanting hedgehogs, help in the garden and a bramble-free 2010! Merry Christmas! Kate
You can never have too many Spear & Jackson hand forks. Cheap hand forks are horrendous and the tines bend.
I agree with dITTO though in my case its hand trowels. For a person with light soil I bent three last year on my astoundingly flinty soil. Two were supposed to be strong as had been expensive, so I specified spear and jackson to at least three people, and kept my fingers crossed. Got some pink welly warmers……
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the fantastic work Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
I would like to buy my mother some vouchers as a present, but I dont like our local garden centre – it used to be quite good, but is now full of a really rank selection of chinese imported home decorations! Is there a general voucher you an buy that is usuable in all garden centres? i know you can get these for book vouchers.
Please mail replay to gemowat at gemail dot com – thnks