Gifts for Gardeners?

[Mazzatron]

Hello green thumbed people,

Has anyone got any good suggestions for Christmas gifts for gardeners? My parents are in their 70s, both love gardening, my Dad prefers growing fruit and veg and my Mum is more into flowers.

I'm looking in gift sites and can only see things like 'head gardener' mugs or seed bombs which isn't their thing. They already have a prescription to Which gardening magazine.

Anyone got any good shouts? £30 - £100 budget. Would prefer to get them a gift each but one big one to share is also ok.

Thank you in advance!

Garden vouchers?
RHS/Plantlife membership?
Decent hand cream?
Gardening gloves?

Lovely terracotta pots (not bog standard B&Q ones)
Good quality secateurs or loppers
Garden centre or RHS shop vouchers (always appreciated at Christmas as you can spend then when the weather improves)

Sarah Raven has some nice gifty stuff, pricey but good.

A nice kneeling stool or pad for your mum when she's planting, and new gloves. Do they have any tools that need replacing? A decent spade is a lovely thing.

posh gardening gloves are always good because they wear out
shop.rhs.org.uk/garden-room/gardening-gloves

or look on crocus.co.uk for ideas

Thing is, they're probably inundated with secateurs, gloves etc.

What about something with an element of service involved-eg a load of manure and you shift it for them?

A lovely tree or plant, but they'd probably want to choose it.
So vouchers !

Or exciting seeds, if they're not very good on the internet and you could get them varieties they've not seen in the shops.

@TheSpottedZebra I know, it's tricky isn't it - I'm forever losing my secateurs so could do with some spares, but chances are they already have some they like.

I think vouchers are best for gardeners unless they ask for something specific, it's so personal.

I've been giving mine garden vouchers for years and they always love them!

A lovely planter or set of terracotta pots if you know their taste. Or a voucher for somewhere like sarah Raven as too expensive for normal purchases

I’m a gardener. Do not buy them anything the average gardener uses everyday (gloves, trowel, aura they will have found the ones that work for them already, and don’t buy them anything the don’t have as they probably don’t want it. Ask them, or get them vouchers. The only exception would be copper tools from implementations.co.uk which are fantastic and where you could risk getting them the basics like hand forks or trowels. Or just get them wine, or take them out for the day somewhere fabulous like great dixter.

What about something with an element of service involved-eg a load of manure and you shift it for them? One of my best presents ever was a tonne of gravel delivered in a heap to our driveway and shifted down to where I wanted it spread.

Don't give them plants unless they've asked for the specific plant. Having to find room for a tree or shrub that you don't particularly like is not a good present for a keen gardener who will already have filled every inch of their soil.

How about a couple of roses (bare root at this time of year), with a special meaning?

Here are some: www.countrygardenroses.co.uk/shop/188-family-roses/

Or a subscription to Greenthumb for a year? (They come every other month or so and make the lawn look amazing).

greenthumb.co.uk/

A gardening journal/diary? You can get some lovely ones.

I think roses and GreenThumb are probably not for experienced gardeners - they'd probably prefer to choose their own roses, and Green Thumb would not be welcomed by anyone trying to avoid unnecessary chemical use, so you'd have to ask them beforehand, not spring it as a surprise.

Yes fair point @MereDintofPandiculation. My mum is in her 70s, a widow and a very keen Gardner. She has Greenthumb because she can't manage to get a lawn like that on her own. And I don't think is that bothered about pesticides etc tbh.

Perhaps not a good present to
Spring on someone unless you know how they feel.

... whereas I've gone the opposite route and am trying to get as many different wildflowers as I can into my "lawn".

Wow! So many thoughtful ideas - thank you so much everyone.

I'm going to mull all the ideas over and do some investigation.

Really grateful to everyone.

X

If they're near one often RHS gardens,a membership would get them entry for a year plus a magazine every other month. Flowers, fruit and veg (and in some cases, a nice tearoom). About £45.

take them out for the day somewhere fabulous like Great Dixter.

This. With cake and a plant spend at the end.
Heaven. Best as a promise rather than at Christmas itself - something to look forward to post-covid and post-winter.

I'd love a mini skip.
Hippo bags have a black Friday event, they are expensive.
I've just got 10 packets of seeds online from a company called bargain seeds fro £4.50.

I'm a keen gardener.

I'd go against the grain and say I'd be happy with new secateurs and really good quality gardening gloves, as I tend to get cheap ones and they wear out. New one are lovely to use.

As PPs have said, definitely don't buy plants or trees unless you know specifically that they want them.

I would also be thrilled with some classic terracotta garden pots - any size - I will always find somehting to plant in them.

How about buying a traditional wooden garden trug and making them a Christmas hamper in it? That way they get edible goodies as well as something for the garden. Or you could fill it with things like plant labels, string, tomato fertiliser, packets of herb seeds, an amaryllis bulb for indoors and some terracotta pots.

A boot scraper/brusher/jack combination for dealing with muddy garden wellies and boots.

If they haven't already got one, how about a sundial?