Gardening has always been a popular pastime, so most people probably have at least one gardener on their Christmas list. Here are five unique gift ideas that a gardener would love to receive.
1. Roses – Perfect for Every Occasion
The rose is a gift of love and a plant most gardeners adore. Rose nurseries offer their spring rose selections through their annual catalogs. Many rose nurseries have an online catalog which makes ordering easy. If you decide to give a garden rose as a gift, you can buy a suitable rose online and specify a spring delivery date.
Create the Christmas present with a photo of the rose in full bloom, mentioning that it’s coming to the recipient during the planting season. You could also create a little gift basket with the rose photo. Add leather gardening gloves which are perfect for rosarians, a book about roses, and a pair of rose secateurs. The rose gardener in your life will be grateful for this unique gift.
2. Create Something from Your Heart
Select a holiday-themed ceramic pot, or decorate any pot with a broken china mosaic, paint it, or simply repurpose an interesting container such as a tin or small metal bucket and fill it with hyacinth bulbs. The pot can be removed to the porch or terrace in the spring. When the hyacinths are finished blooming, the gardener can remove the bulbs to plant in the garden and use the empty pot for other plants.
3. Reuse and Repurpose
Find a vintage watering can and fill it with packages of seed, garden gloves, pruners, plant food, rooting hormone, or any assortment of items the gardener could use. Ensure the watering can is still functional with no holes. Vintage watering cans are collectible and can be bought for $20 to $100 depending on their condition, details and age.
4. Picture Perfect
Create a photo album using photos of the gardener’s own garden. Take the photos on the sly if you want this to be a surprise. There are many ways to make this project interesting, especially if you use computer software that allows you to play with the editing process.
- Give the photos a sepia effect, or turn them into high-contrast black and white photos.
- Do a little cropping to home in on an area of the original photo.
- Give them balance and structure and try to view them from an artist’s perspective.
Determine the size and number of photos to incorporate in the album, and look for an album that suits the photos. For instance, black and white photos are well-suited to a classic black-covered photo album.
You could also edit one or two photos and have them printed off, matted and framed. Both ideas offer a personalized Christmas present – one the receiver will appreciate given the thought and work that went into it.
5. Good Things Come in Small Packages
Buy a potted miniature evergreen tree or holly shrub and replant it into an elegant urn, adding a bit of moss over the soil. This will be a classic feature on the gardener’s porch throughout the winter months. The evergreen can be removed and planted in the garden when the frost has left the ground. The gardener can add spring plants to the urn at the beginning of the following growing season.
6. Sculpture Garden
Garden sculptures are a thoughtful gift that can add a touch of whimsy to a garden or a structural focal point. Things like angels and cherubs add a classic touch. Gnomes are a perennial gardener favorite. If you know your friend or family member’s favorite animal there are a wide range of animal sculptures available, from turtles and fish to dogs and chickens; they’re sure to add a bit of fun. Artsy friends and family might enjoy abstract sculptural pieces. Buddhas and Japanese lanterns create a Zen garden feeling. Many garden sculptures can be left outdoors year-round so your gift will be appreciated through the seasons.
Choose gardening gifts that you are sure will suit the gardener’s taste. The ideas mentioned above are simple classic gifts that most gardeners would want, but gardeners do have their own individual styles, from Zen or Japanese minimalist gardening to full and exuberant cottage gardening. There are unique gifts that can be geared to every individual’s approach to gardening.
If you enjoy making gifts, add an extra-special touch by including a jar of rose infused honey or lavender sugar scrub.
