Help for gift/s for best friend

[Qwerty21]

I'm really unsure on what to get my best friend for Christmas this year. I usually buy from a list for her, but she's said there's nothing she needs this year. We've been friends for about a thousand years, and I love her dearly, but I find her tricky to buy for. She doesn't really have any hobbies other than reading,but she only buys second hand books and doesn't particularly care for certain authors or series I could buy for her. She likes vintage/cottage core decor, so I can't easily find her house type gifts from typical shops. She's waaaay too many clothes/shoes etc so that's out. I've got her a small jewellery item already for xmas. She's a dogmum. She likes gardening, but I've previously bought her a nice gardening book and it felt like a flop. She likes birds but I think I've exhausted that avenue. She doesn't eat out. She doesn't enjoy cooking or baking. Budget around £100. Any ideas would be gratefully appreciated

What has she had on her lists in the past? It might give an indication of the sort of thing she might like.
Or it’s a bit boring but maybe a little kit of gardening stuff that will definitely get used (twine, plant labels, set of seedling pots, box of bird seed) with a voucher for a local garden centre so she can choose something she wants/needs at an appropriate time (e.g. there might be a plant she’d like but it needs to be planted in the spring so wouldn’t work as a Christmas present).

Usually quite specific things, like a set of sharp knives, or a certain t-shirt she wanted. If I really can't think of anything I could do the garden centre gift voucher, that's not a bad idea, but I do prefer to give something that can be opened rather than a voucher. Thank you for replying

Niwaki gardening tools are amazing - the Hori Hori knife is great, as are the secateurs (left handed secateurs were a very welcome gift last year), also the garden tool care kit? Their customer service is excellent too, they were able to customise a gift set with the left handed secateurs when I asked them.
https://www.niwaki.com/shop/

My sister gifted me 12 wrapped books (one for each month) all sourced from charity shops, some themed to the month ie a summer romance or a Christmas mystery. It was a really thoughtful gift that I loved!

My immediate thought was a hori hori knife. Or if you have any antique shops near you it is always worth looking for pretty jugs that can be used as vases, or glasses to accompany a good bottle of sherry or champagne

Thanks so much guys. Hori kori knifes look great and the book surprise is a good idea too

I think something personal would be nice, since you've been friends for so long. You could look for a vintage piece for her home, like an old botanical print or a pretty trinket box or maybe get a custom portrait of her dog. If she enjoys gardening, maybe a garden planning program like Gardenbox 3d could be useful, but I'd check with her first to see if she'd actually use it.
You could also make a slideshow for her birthday with photos of her over the years, especially if you can find some childhood pictures, there are programs for that like this one or mobile apps. If you know her family well, you can ask them to send in some more pictures too. I think that could be a really lovely addition to the gift and clearly not something she would buy/do for herself.
Another option would be to just plan a day together visiting a garden or some antique shops and then have a nice meal. After so many years of friendship, spending time together might mean more than another thing to put on a shelf.

What a fantastic idea. So thoughtful.
P

What about something different and put your money together for a night out or weekend away together? Especially if she doesn't need or want anything.

I wonder if she would rather a day out over a physical gift?
If she is a dog mum the Lido at Saltdean near Brighton is a fun day out for warmer weather. Maybe you could go for a night out and do that in the day? Lots of dog friendly hotels and air bnb's too.

Cocopup sell fancy dog stuff if treating her dog would go down well with her. Or you could get a hoodie or bag with a personalised version of her dog on it. They say something like “life is better with my dog Bert” and you choose the dog that looks like hers. This type of site but am sure there are others.