Gardening hamper ideas please

[CovidCantKillChristmas]

Good morning mumsnetters :-)
My parents are about to complete on a house that has a greenhouse. My grandad was a gardener and it has been a dream of my dad's to own a greenhouse house forever! I would like to make them a hamper for Christmas with lots of gardening bits and bobs to get them started. I would love to hear some recommendations, as I do not have any green fingers! The garden also has an allotment so they will be looking to grow flowers from seed and fruit/veg. Bonus points for bits out of the ordinary. Thanks in advance. Xx

Gardening gloves

Gardeners hand cream, soap, nail brush

Thermometer (for greenhouse)

Gardeners journal

Seed storage tin

Burgon & Ball Seed Packet Storage Tin Stone Cream www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B077P6Y1CR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_fabc_0YG2P1XEX7R2AN2Q2RCD

What a great idea, I'm sure they'll be thrilled with that.

Depending on timings, this might not be right for this year, but I bought this for my lovely neighbours and I know they'll really enjoy it - although I'll need to give it to them on 30 November.

www.somethingprettyplants.com/product-page/garden-seed-advent-calendar?gclid=CjwKCAiA1aiMBhAUEiwACw25MWf2B8SQ7zYEWMtu-H9DkeqGfUSqhU2E33CrxtzAr0KORuTo9Imt_BoCULsQAvD_BwE

(Sorry, can't do proper links)

I love this book, it's well thumbed and covered with mud now

Allotment Month By Month: Grow your Own Fruit and Vegetables, Know What to do When https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0241360005/ref=cmswwrcppapiglttfabcVGDTD4EEH71GXP0R0MGZ

I got my SMIL a gift from here.

She’s an avid gardener.

A sharpie and those little sticks that you write in to label what is in plant pots

Twine stand & scissors
Good secateurs
Insulated mug

I am an avid gardener. If your parents are already keen gardeners please don’t give them anything they haven’t specifically asked for.

When MIL gives me gloves, seeds, hand cream etc I grit my teeth and wish she’d given me some garden centre vouchers or even money so I can buy the specific specialised something I wanted. I only use one type of high quality glove, never use gardener’s hand cream, only buy seed from specialist sellers and my greenhouse thermometer is wifi enabled. Nothing delights me more than a gift of well rotted manure.

If they are not avid gardeners then

• allotment month by month is a very good book for new allotment owners
• well rotted manure is a great gift for the veg patch
• if their greenhouse has power then a big electric propagatior, or even better a heat mat, plus some grow lights if you can run to it, is transformational
• my greenhouse thermometer is from Grobee and is very useful
• beautiful and functional hand tools from implementations.co.uk (copper) are the very best
• or an inspirational trip out to their nearest big RHS garden

Oh, well I'm an avid gardener myself, with a greenhouse, and I still love receiving hand cream and gardening gloves, and all the things I listed. These are things that I find handy and it saves me having to shop for them. I love having a journal each year.

I would not want to go to an RHS show or anything like that so wouldn't particularly want vouchers as described by previous poster.

I happily receive any gift given with love and thought, to be fair.

Actually I would draw the line at being given a bag of manure! That's something I source myself and wouldn't realistically expect a family member to have to get for me. Even with a pretty bow stuck on the bag, it's still manure and not what I'd expect as a Christmas gift 😂

I have an allotment and a greenhouse. Gifts I have loved have been a Hori Hori knife www.sarahraven.com/products/niwaki-hori-hori-knife
Charles Dowding seed trays
Propagator
A Nunki weeder www.implementations.co.uk/shop/nunki-weeder/
A digging hoe
Seed storage tin

What about a small bag of peat free compost to try out and experiment with? Or something to test the acidity of the soil?

How lovely! What a thoughtful present.

I’d include:

• a bag of seed and cutting compost (if it’ll fit )
• secateurs,
• thin gardening gloves and thick ones for pruning roses etc,
• a watering can
• a hand trowel
• a hand fork
• a kneeler
• a watering can
• packets of seeds for sowing early in Jan - March: sweet peas (old fashioned mix for scent), cornflowers, cosmos, dahlias, tomatoes, radishes, lettuces
• trugs are lovely but not cheap or really essential
• a bag of summer bulbs such as gladioli

Also small flower pots for sowing seeds!

Labels and a permanent marker pen.

There are some fantastic ideas here! Thank you all. I feel well prepared now to put together something fantastic. Thanks again 😊

I like fancy coloured garden twine!

Good quality pruning tools (short & long handle)

Decent trowel

Gloves with gauntlets for pruning thorns

Voucher for buying plants

Lovely idea. This site is amazing for unusual heritage seeds with great tips about seed saving for future years
www.realseeds.co.uk/

A radio for the greenhouse

I second the PP who suggested if they are already gardeners they probably won't want ir need secateurs or gloves unless they ask

My MIL is forever giving my the latest gadget secateurs - I like my felcos in my size and don't need anything else

A paper folding pot maker is handy to avoid plastic. A max min thermometer you can read from the house is handy too.

A trug
Beautiful hand tools
Twine
If you know what they want to grow on allotment a selection of seeds
Plant supports
Decent watering can
Would they like a voucher for their preferred garden centre ? Or membership to say Thompson & Morgan

Muck boots
Seedling trays
Bench for greenhouse
Fleece
Gardeners World subscription
A David Austin rose for their garden

Longtime gardener here. with greenhouse.

Felco pruners, the small version. Costly but trust me, worth it!! Also if you are splurging, the Felco wire cutters. Gardeners always need to nip some wire or other.

Gift vouchers for seeds, bulbs or native plants.

Vintage books by Ethelind Fearin, Beverly Nichols or other bygone garden writers. Esp Fearon.

Subscription to garden magazine.

High/low thermometer that records temp extremes inside greenhouse

Bottle of rooting hormone

Sacks of seed starting medium, manure, compost. Best gift ever!

Interesting vintage pots, cloches, watering cans.

Voucher to T&M or other seed seller

Hummingbird feeder

Bee house

Earthworms

The list goes on!

Twine is a good idea, the rough jute stuff.

I listen to radio programmes on a Bluetooth in my greenhouse

A sharp knife is handy

Butterfly bush/buddliea esp a dwarf version

Piles of allium & tulip bulbs

Solar lights or flameless candles (i prefer the latter) for a tiny glow at night

Antique or vintage bird bath or other cement feature.

Moss

Citronella candle to repel mosquitoes while working

Wreath made of garden hose for greenhouse door

Have fun!!!

@GoodVibesHere

Oh, well I'm an avid gardener myself, with a greenhouse, and I still love receiving hand cream and gardening gloves, and all the things I listed. These are things that I find handy and it saves me having to shop for them. I love having a journal each year.

I would not want to go to an RHS show or anything like that so wouldn't particularly want vouchers as described by previous poster.

I happily receive any gift given with love and thought, to be fair.

Oh, a garden journal is a GREAT idea. I have one that goes back years.