The internet is chock-a-block with lists of garden gift ideas. Weirdly, many such lists are loaded with things such as natural soaps and fair trade chocolate. You will also find a lot of kitschy garden products—things about which serious gardeners, when they pull off the wrapping paper, might say, “Well, um, gee, thanks.” Here are a few ideas sure to impress even the most jaded gardeners in your life.
Felco Pruners
Felco pruners have a cult-like following for a reason: The company offers 26 different models, tailored to suit individual ergonomic preferences and specific farm and garden uses, including left-handed options. The Swiss-made tools come with a lifetime guarantee.
Hori Hori
These are the Felcos of hand trowels. Made in Japan with a comfortable wood handle surrounding a thick steel shank that won’t bend or break, Hori Horis also come with a serrated edge for cutting through roots. Professional gardeners often pack a pair of holsters on their belt: one to hold their Felcos, the other for a Hori Hori.
Grafting Supplies
Perhaps the gardener in your life would like to experiment with grafting their own fruit trees, grape vines or rose bushes? If so, they’ll want to make the precise cuts required for the job with a grafting knife or a professional grafting tool. Don’t forget to throw some grafting tape or grafting wax in their stocking.
Rooting Hormone
Here’s another stocking stuffer: Dip the end of cuttings in this all-natural goo to encourage quick root formation on perennials such as lavender and rosemary.
Heirloom Fruit Tree
Seeds are an obvious gift idea, but what about a gift certificate to an online fruit tree nursery? These companies start taking orders for “bare root” trees—shipped sans soil during their winter dormancy period—in early January. Here are a few to try: Sonoma Antique Apple Nursery, Raintree Nursery, and One Green World.