Give the Gift of Gardening

Gardeners love tools and new plants, so why not give some? (Even if it's to yourself!)

Gardening season has passed. (Heavy sigh!) The colder months of the coming holiday season mean now is a great time to dream about next year’s flowers and tasty garden treats.

Gardeners love to receive garden-oriented gifts. There are always new tools to try, new gloves to wear, and new plants to grow.

When you give a gardener a gift for his or her garden, you are giving them the promise of next year’s gardening experience.

Plus, if you’re the gardener in your family, feel free to ask for these gifts for yourself!

The ultimate weeding tools

A gardener can never have too many high-quality tools, especially if they are designed to get specific jobs done. The CobraHead Weeder and Cultivator might just be the best weeding tool ever invented.

The CobraHead Weeder gets its name from the shape of the tempered steel blade, which resembles the shape of a cobra’s head. The strength, shape and size of the blade is perfect for digging out tough weeds and cultivating soil in flower beds and vegetable gardens. This hand-held tool is also great for planting seeds and transplants. The bright blue handle is made from a mixture of wood fiber and recycled plastic, and it is ergonomically designed to fit comfortably in your hand.

There’s also a CobraHead Mini—a smaller version of the original tool. The CobraHead Mini was designed for smaller hands and smaller digging jobs.

Plus, the smaller blade is perfect for digging in containers, planter boxes and other smaller spaces. The original CobraHead Weeder and the CobraHead Mini can be purchased together for $49.95 at cobrahead.com.

Give the gift of seeds

It’s never too early to give the gift of seeds that can be planted next spring. Botanical Interests is a Colorado-based company that specializes in selling organically-grown seeds of heirloom and non-GMO vegetable and flower varieties.

The Basic Bounty Vegetable Collection contains nine packets of seeds that are sure to produce a tasty harvest of fresh vegetables. Included are Bush Glacier Bean, Marketmore Organic Cucumber, Glacier Bush Tomato, Black Beauty Summer Squash, Salad Bowl Organic Lettuce Blend, and more. This bounty of seeds comes in a gift box with a decorative ribbon for $17.50.

For flower lovers, there’s the Bee Happy Seed Collection. The six seed packets in this gift will grow flowers that are guaranteed to attract all kinds of bees. This gift set includes Bee Balm, Hyssop Lavender, Shades of Blue Larkspur, and more.

This collection comes gift boxed for just $12.00. (Tip: give these two seed collections as a set! Available from botanicalinterests.com.

A practical stocking stuffer

One annoying aspect of gardening is being bugged by insect pests. A new, all-natural insect repellent made by Para’Kito keeps mosquitoes and ticks away—even though it contains no harmful chemicals.

The active ingredients are natural essential oils that smell good to people, but not to insects. The spray is water- and sweat-resistant, and it provides effective protection for up to 8 hours against mosquitoes and ticks.

The spray is safe to use on children, pregnant women, and people with sensitive skin. A handy spray bottle sells for $19.50 at us.parakito.com.

Garden theme gifts

When it’s time to send a thoughtful birthday, thank you, or thinking of you card, it’s nice to have a unique and colorful notecard. The blank Botanical Art Notecard Set contains six different designs featuring lovely illustrations including a butterfly on dill flowers and ripe ears of multi-colored Glass Gem corn. The notecards are 4.5” by 6.25” and include envelopes. The set sells for $13.99 from botanical interests.com.

Another gift that features hand-illustrated botanical artwork by Colorado-based artists is the 2022 Desk Calendar from Botanical Interests. The award-winning design features a specific flower or fruit each month, and on the reverse side is a description of the plant including its USDA growing zones.

The tent-shaped calendar measures 6.25” by 4.75” and is priced at $7.99, so it makes a great stocking stuffer or holiday hostess gift. From botanical interests.com.

A rare, easy-to-grow houseplant

These days there is a renewed interest in rare and unusual houseplants. Velvet Leaf Philodendron (Philodendron micans) makes a great gift because it’s a rare plant that is easy to grow indoors.

The velvety, iridescent leaves of a Velvet Leaf Philodendron give the plant a simple, unassuming beauty. The heart-shaped leaves display a range of colors from bronze to light and dark green. The newer leaves even have pink and purple highlights.

This colorful philodendron performs well in bright filtered light or low light conditions. The cuttings can be rooted in water to create another plant for yourself or a gardening friend. A plant in a 4-inch pot sells for $29.95 from logees.com.

Beneficial bug wildflower seed mix

The Beneficial Bug Wildflower Seed Mix is a great gift for any acreage property. This wildflower seed mix attracts beneficial bugs to your garden or vegetable plot, and will help destroy harmful pests such as mites, thrips, and aphids. Beneficial bugs include lady bugs, hover flies, parasitic wasps, and lacewings.

This seed mixture contains 19 wildflowers, including 9 perennials for second and successive years' bloom plus 10 annual wildflowers for quick first-year color. The perennials include Purple Prairie Clover, Shasta Daisy and Gayfeather. The annual seeds include Bishop's Flower, Wild Cosmos, and Baby Blue Eyes.

This seed mix is packaged in five sizes ranging from ¼ pound for $15.99 (for up to 500 square feet) all the way up to 10 pounds for $319.99 (which covers up to 20,000 square feet). Available from highcountrygardens.com.

About the author

Randall D. Schultz a master gardener and the content editor for HomeGardenandHomestead.com, an award-winning website filled with helpful advice for homeowners and homesteaders. Subscribe to the free e-newsletter and receive the booklet, “15 Garden Hacks that Will Save You Money.”