Here’s what’s ahead:
25 Of the Best Holiday Presents for Gardeners
Decorative Day-Brighteners
Even the most committed growers can’t have their hands in the dirt outdoors 24/7.
Some of these picks help extend the blooming beauty vibe into the house, to be displayed in a sunroom or on a light-filled windowsill, while others serve as attractive indoor plant displays, serving options to feature homegrown harvests, and more.
1. 12 Months of Flower Bulbs
Sure, we’re all familiar with the 12 days of Christmas. But why settle for just 12 days?
Keep the season going throughout all 12 months of the year with this incredible blooming bulb subscription.
Each month, a new assortment of high-quality Dutch flowering bulbs will be delivered to your chosen recipient’s home, featuring seasonally themed and beautifully colorful blossoms potted in nursery containers.
They arrive pre-sprouted, ready to bloom within about three weeks of receipt each month, and the first delivery includes an attractive vine basket that may be reused each month for display.
12 Months of Flower Bulbs
Flower selections include varieties of narcissus, tulips, crocuses, hyacinths, lilies, amaryllis, paperwhites, and more. Available from Plow and Hearth.
Six-month and three-month subscriptions are available as well.
2. Distressed Iron and Glass Cloche
Make their indoor terrarium or Victorian display dreams come true with a distressed iron and glass cloche.
Perfect for filling with finds discovered on a long walk in the woods, ferns and mosses, or even a candle or string of fairy lights, this lovely cloche will make a perfect addition to any gardener’s decor.
Distressed Iron and Glass Cloche
Available in medium or extra-large sizes, the smaller option measures 12 inches high by 9.5 inches across at the top, with a base diameter of 11.25 inches.
And the large version is 18 inches tall by 13.5 inches across at the top and 15 inches across at the base.
These are for indoor use only, and they can be wiped clean with a dry cloth. Take a closer look at both sizes now on Terrain.
3. Mid-Century Modern Grow Lamp
For the gardener who already has everything, bring a little light into their life this holiday season so they can enjoy indoor gardening throughout the winter, in any room of the house.
The stylish mid-century modern look of this tall three-arm grow lamp will in no way detract from the decor of their parlor, potting room, or library, enhancing the space while providing necessary light to potted plants.
Metal with a 60-inch clear power cord, this lamp measures 30 by 30 by 60 to 71 inches, with a height that’s variable depending on how the user wishes to adjust the arms.
Mid-Century Modern Grow Lamp
The lamp shades measure eight by six inches, and the included Miracle LED Ultra Grow lightbulbs provide full-spectrum lighting, which doubles as task lighting that’s perfect for sitting alongside with the user’s latest embroidered sampler or a cozy read in hand.
Available from Gardener’s Supply Company.
4. Fresh Tabletop Fraser Fir
Give the gift of greenery to enhance their holiday decor regardless of space restrictions this holiday season with a freshly cut Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) for decorating.
Nobody ever said a Christmas tree had to take up an entire room, and this one’s perfectly sized for small spaces to adorn a tabletop.
Tabletop Fraser Fir
Sustainably harvested, it comes complete with a metal stand, rubber bucket insert to hold water, and a handcrafted pine wood crate so it’s ready for gifting and display.
This sturdy conifer can even hold heavier ornaments – unlike many of the tinier artificial options – and your chosen recipient will love the blue-green needles on each of the upturned branches.
With proper care it should hold its needles through the holiday season, for eight to 10 weeks. This fresh tabletop tree measures 36 to 48 inches in height.
Find it now at Terrain.
5. Little Living Tree
Or maybe they’d prefer a mini Christmas tree that won’t be composted or carted away at the end of the season?
The Little Living Tree is a downright adorable option that’s able to tolerate indoor conditions, or it can be transplanted into the landscape after the holidays are over in Zones 3 to 6.
Little Living Tree
This Black Hills spruce (Picea glauca var. densata) arrives in a gallon-size plastic nursery pot held within a decorative slate gray woven bamboo cachepot that’s ready for display, along with a string of battery-powered raindrop Stargazer lights, decorative moss to place on top of the soil that will also help to retain moisture, and a sage green velvet ribbon to tie in a bow at the top.
These measure 24 to 27 inches tall by seven to eight inches wide. And they’re available from Terrain, shipped in a box appropriate for gifting.
6. Living Picture Succulent Kit
Here’s a potential present for two different groups of gardeners. First, you may have friends who are part of the emerging Succulent Nation, and they will adore this kit that uses compact succulent cuttings as the basis for a framed work of art.
The Living Picture Kit base is plain and simple until a succulent garden artist unleashes its potential.
A second group, those who would get a lift from a gardening project that’s perfect a dreary winter indoors, will be equally appreciative.
The kit includes a frame, soil, and succulent cuttings. The info postcard enclosed provides clear directions on how to use the dainty, color contrasting succulent florettes to create a work of art.
The tiny varieties in the “palette” will gradually grow and expand to complete the living art. The filled frame is fairly low-maintenance, and it can hang on the wall, sit on a table, or be propped up for display.
Living Picture Succulent Kit
You can purchase this kit in three sizes: six by six inches, six by 12 inches, and 12 by 12 inches.
Learn more about the Living Picture Kit at Succulent Gardens.
7. Nesting Branch Plant Stand Set
Plant stands are often an afterthought – but they don’t have to be.
Your selected recipient is sure to be delighted by this set of three nesting plant stands, with a natural design inspired by bare twigs and branches, complete with an adorable little bird perched beneath the tallest table.
Each stand can hold up to 30 pounds, made from powder coated steel with glass tops.
Nesting Branch Plant Stand Set
These range in size from 27 to 33 inches long by 16 to 27 inches tall, and each shelf is 10 inches deep. A wrench is required for assembly.
Find this attractive display stand at Gardener’s Supply Company.
8. Old Fashioned Berry Basket
These Amish-crafted baskets are simply lovely. They feature a reinforced plywood bottom and leather loops that allow whoever is doing the harvesting to fasten the basket to a belt and pick fruit or vegetables with both hands.
Old Fashioned Berry Basket
The baskets are 8.75 inches high and weigh about half a pound.
Be forewarned, though: the top gardener who receives this under the Christmas tree this year might have to fight the rest of the family to get to use it as a receptacle for berries, cherries, or cherry tomatoes.
It may also be displayed beautifully in a rustic kitchen, or in a craft room to hold knickknacks or yarn.
Find berry basket buying information and check current prices at Lehman’s Hardware and Appliance.
9. The Pioneer Woman Floral Ceramic Bakeware Set
Such happy cookware, not to mention that it’s a good value for a very reasonable price! I can’t recommend these flowered ceramic baking pans enough.
Each set of two pieces comes from popular lifestyle blogger and Food Network personality Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman.
Her designs offer an updated take on vintage flowered dishes in vibrant colors, with four different extra-appealing flower motifs to choose from that gardeners will love.
Ceramic Bakeware Set – Fiona Floral
They’re close enough to cottage flowers that you can recognize the species depicted, from roses to cosmos to my favorites, the “dazzling dahlias” in my personal top pick, Fiona Floral.
Other patterns available in this series include Blossom Jubilee, Rose Shadow, and Spring Bouquet.
Ceramic Bakeware Set – Blossom Jubilee
Each baker has two handles, decorative edges, and flowers on the interior as well, so there’s something extra to admire even after that last portion of spinach lasagna or holiday berry breakfast casserole has been gobbled up.
This set includes one 4.4-quart rectangular baker and one that holds 3.3 quarts. Both are dishwasher and microwave safe, and oven safe up to 425ºF.
I can attest they’re ideal for roasting bumper crops of eggplant, butternut squash, cherry tomatoes, or onions. You can rest assured your favorite vegetable gardener will use this gift year-round.
Add this set to your holiday shopping cart now via Walmart.
Ever-So-Practical Presents
It’s so rare these days to be shopping for someone who actually prefers a purely useful gift, but dedicated gardeners often feel that way.
There’s no reason to dread the “practical gift” concept, not with these folks.
In fact, there are lots of items to choose from that are garden-themed, supremely useful, and that can stand up to wear and tear, for years of use.
We’ve weeded through the options already (nobody likes weeding, we know!). Read on for the top practical Christmas gifts for gardeners:
10. Wooden Produce Storage Rack
Green-thumbed gardeners who bring in a bumper crop each year will love the look of this nine-drawer vegetable and fruit storage rack.
Perfect for keeping crops that store well in a cool but not chilled environment through the winter season, it doubles as an attractive display for apples, winter squash, potatoes, onions, and more, and drawers can also be removed to accommodate larger produce.
Wooden Produce Storage Rack
The slatted drawers provide excellent air circulation, and they can also double as drying racks for fresh herbs.
Made of untreated rough-cut Chinese fir, the rack measures 23.5 by 23.5 by 55.25 inches.
It is available exclusively from Gardener’s Supply Company.
11. Amish-Made Furrowing Hoe
Basic tools are soul-satisfying for both gardening veterans and those new to the pursuit, and this hoe is lovingly crafted and indispensable.
Made by artisans in the heart of Ohio’s Amish Country, this hickory-handled hoe with its ultra-sharp angular blade makes short work of furrows.
Furrowing Hoe
It’s also handy for working with pinpoint accuracy around tender sprouts and seedlings, ideal for the gardener who doesn’t want to crawl on hands and knees to knock out weeds in early spring.
The handle is 54 inches long, tipped with a high-carbon steel blade forged in Sweden. It weighs about two pounds.
This high-quality tool is available via Lehman’s Hardware and Appliance.
12. Stanley Jr. Gardening and Landscaping Tools
You’re probably familiar with Stanley brand tools already, but have you met Stanley Jr.?
Give the mini-me in your life an opportunity to get out there and get their hands dirty with real gardening tools perfectly sized to fit tiny hands, and battery-powered facsimiles of landscaping tools that serve as near replicas of the real thing to fuel the imagination – without those sharp and dangerous bits.
Stanley Jr. Battery-Operated Leaf Blower
Their battery-operated leaf blower, available on Amazon, makes realistic sounds and blows air so they can join in the yard cleanup fun.
Stanley Jr. Hedge Trimmer
And the hedge trimmer has safe rotating plastic “blades,” with realistic sound and a power trigger so they can play make-believe while honing their fine motor skills.
More into digging in the dirt? Choose between two garden sets for kids that come compete with the tools they’ll need.
Three-Piece Garden Toolset
A three-piece set, also available on Amazon features a sun hat, pail, and hand trowel while the four-piece option includes gloves, a watering can, a hand fork, and a spade.
Batteries are not included, and all of these fun and useful tools for little garden helpers are recommended for children ages three and up.
13. Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
If your loved one is an expert at growing bumper crops of fruit or vegetables, this book will be greeted with glee.
It does include its fair share of old-school recipes, and they’re absolutely delicious, from the “golden relish” to the apple-pear-cranberry pie filling.
But this collection, updated in May 2020, also offers up-to-date recipes for salsas, soft spreads, and condiments that will help your favorite small-scale produce farmer preserve the harvest while appealing to 21st-century tastebuds.
Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
A few of my favorite recipes from my well-worn copy include bruschetta in a jar, easy-peasy cranberry ketchup, and a knock-your-socks-off hot pepper relish known as Singapore sauce.
Even more importantly, this 448-page tome includes step-by-step details for everything from blanching to making a simple freezer jam to preparing a 14-ingredient, three-day chowchow. And it covers the basics of revived traditional food preservation methods like fermenting sauerkraut and kimchi as well.
The “Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving” is available in hardcover and paperback from Amazon.
14. Potted Citrus Trees
Even gardeners in cold climes can enjoy the delights of homegrown citrus for years to come when dwarf trees are grown in pots and tended to indoors.
Choose from a selection of ‘Improved Meyer Lemon,’ ‘Makrut Lime,’ or ‘Blood Orange,’ in attractive color-matched rice hull pots in yellow, green, or red-orange.
Detailed care instructions are included, and the plants will require watering upon receipt.
Potted Citrus Trees
Overall dimensions including the pot are approximately six by 16 inches. Note that shipping is not available to customers in Arizona, Florida, or Texas, in accordance with local regulations.
If you’d like to add one – or more – of these to your holiday shopping list, they’re available from Plow and Hearth.
15. Can-O-Worms Compost Worm Farm Starter Kit
So, you’ve never given someone a gift that involved worms? There’s a first time for everything!
Hardcore gardeners will appreciate the luxury of being able to “grow” their own earthworms, using household compost and this worm farm.
Can-O-Worms Compost Worm Farm Starter Kit
It features ventilated collector trays that help worms do their best work (and best multiplying), and it can hold 15 gallons of worms and compost.
Tumbleweed, the manufacturer, estimates this vermiculture operation recycles seven to nine pounds of organic waste per week once it’s up and running, along with producing earthworms that can be moved to the garden to do their beneficial aerating and soil-building thing.
Maybe this isn’t the most romantic Christmas gift for gardeners, but a certain subsection of people who like to grow veggies and flowers for bouquets will absolutely love this introduction to vermicomposting.
May I suggest dropping a few hints about wanting to procure this item before committing to such a daring holiday gift? Just to be safe? Kids will love it, too, if an adult is prepared to help.
Find more information about the Can-O-Worms Compost Worm Farm and purchase yours now at Home Depot.
Learn more about home vermiculture in our guide if you’re new to worm composting and interested in getting started.
16. Farm 24XL Indoor Hydroponics Kit
Looking for a fun project for the whole family? The budding horticulturists in your life will be delighted by the Farm 24XL from Aerogarden.
Admittedly a splurge in terms of the pricetag, it’s also a practical gift that will keep on giving.
A complete hydroponics setup that includes two adjustable 60-watt full-spectrum LED grow lights that can accommodate plants up to 36 inches tall, a wi-fi and Amazon Alexa-enabled touch screen control panel, and two seed pod kits to grow everything from herbs and lettuces to tomatoes, this state-of-the-art kit truly has it all.
Two grow bowls, a trellis, power adapter, and liquid plant food complete the kit.
Aerogarden claims you can grow up to 24 plants at once in water with this setup, and they’ll grow and start producing harvestable produce up to five times faster than using traditional soil.
Farm 24XL Indoor Hydroponics Kit
The touchscreen features include a low water reminder, nutrient reminder, automated lights that are also dimmable, and a handy vacation mode to take care of your plants while you’re away from home, as well as a control app for iOS and Android.
The Farm 24XL Indoor Hydroponics kit is available on Amazon or direct from Aerogarden.
17. Cedar Plus Bat House
A home for bats? In-the-know green thumbs will appreciate this practical selection.
Bats consume insects like humans eat popcorn, so they’re natural pest eradicators, making the great outdoors more comfortable as they decimate the mosquito population.
This particular bat house is made from long-lasting cedar and it will hold up to 50 bats!
At 14 inches tall and 8.25 inches wide, this house has pre-drilled holes and a flat back that make it easy to install.
Basically, it’s a matter of, “if you hang it, they will come.”
Make sure the recipient will have a suitable place to install this treasure. It needs to be placed in a location 10 to 12 feet off the ground, with morning sun to keep the bats warm.
Cedar Plus Bat House
For more details and to purchase the S&K Cedar Plus Bat House, head to Tractor Supply.
18. Dickies Women’s Double Front Duck Bib Overalls
Old-time farmers wore overalls because they were rugged, flexible, and easy to wash. And your favorite modern-day gardener would appreciate a pair for all the same reasons.
These black or brown overalls are made from 98 percent cotton and two percent spandex, so they stretch and move without being itchy or clingy.
Women’s Double Front Duck Bib Overalls
And if the women in your life have been mourning this lack in their ordinary clothing, drumroll please… these overalls have nine pockets!
Imagine all the gardening essentials that can be carried in there!
They’re also layering-friendly, just as comfortable with a turtleneck and sweater worn beneath them as they are worn over a tank top and sunscreen.
Dickies Double Front Overalls – Back View
They’ll take your gardener from filling bird feeders in the dead of winter to picking beans, beans, and more beans in the hottest summer months.
Available sizes range from women’s XS to 2XL. Double front panels even include openings for knee pads (not included).
Check out more details and current prices at Tractor Supply.
19. Excalibur Nine-Tray Dehydrator
For the gardener who is also inclined to stock up on shelf stable items picked from the garden, a dehydrator is a dreamy kitchen tool to have at the ready.
Some of the items it will produce are strictly gourmet, like chewy and sweet sun-dried tomatoes, or crispy apple and pear slices. But this gift is also practical.
Excalibur Nine-Tray Dehydrator
Gardeners who grow their own food can use it to dehydrate enough mainstay vegetables and herbs (think onions, celery, carrots, chilies, basil, thyme, and other flavorful herbs, spices, and aromatics) for gallon upon gallon of soup mix for camping, storing in the emergency food kit, or donating to food banks for the less fortunate.
For any food preservation endeavors, this model is a beaut. It holds 15 square feet of drying fruits and vegetables in nine trays, and includes an adjustable thermostat and 26-hour timer.
For more details and pricing, check out the Excalibur Dehydrator now on Amazon.
Thoughtful Gestures
Whether given in a stocking, as part of an office gift exchange, or as a hostess gift, these small presents are both thoughtful and easy on the budget.
If your family has a tradition of giving smaller gifts daily for Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, they’re great choices there, too.
20. Italian Herb Napkin Rings
For the gardener who loves to cook and entertain, what could be more perfect than this unique set of Italian herb-themed napkin rings, to complete their holiday tablescape?
Available in sets of four, these hand-casted pewter adornments are finished in antiqued bronze. You’ll love the fine detail of Michael Michaud’s sage, parsley, rosemary, and basil, cast from real live plants.
Italian Herb Napkin Rings
Each measures approximately 2.5 by 1.75 inches, and these are hand wash only. Available from Terrain.
21. Herbs for Canine Companions and Feline Friends
First, this thoughtful booklet will inspire herbalists, new pet owners, and others to grow a row for the canines in their life.
“10 Herbs for Happy, Healthy Dogs” by Kathleen Brown features 10 herbs that can safely be administered to dogs, with tips for preparing herbal remedies at home.
10 Herbs for Happy, Healthy Dogs
As we always advise when dealing with herbal medicine, anyone taking medication or embarking on a new herbal regimen or diet plan should consult with a medical professional first – puppies included.
Pick up a copy at True Leaf Market.
But did someone say “meow”? Wouldn’t want to forget the furry felines, now would we? The Cat Lovers Collection from Botanical Interests is sure to make a purr-fect gift!
Cat Lovers Collection
It includes healthy and fiber-rich cat oats and cat grass seeds for growing indoors, as well as catnip so you can grow your own at home to replenish their favorite toys, or make handcrafted new ones.
Kitty’s sure to be pleased.
Find it now at Botanical Interests.
22. Fine Art Gift Set
Winter is the perfect time for the gardener who’s stuck indoors to dream and plan next year’s garden, send letters to friends, relax, and unwind.
Seated at their writing desk, gazing out the window at the snowy landscape, they’re sure to appreciate this thoughtful gift set.
Fine Art Gift Set
Complete with a selection of six beautiful notecards with botanical illustrations, a 2022 desktop calendar, coloring book, and tote bag, these treats are sure to help them to get through the colder months of the year.
Available from Botanical Interests.
Complete your gift with a gardening journal, and a Botanical Interests gift certificate so they can turn those dreams doodled or jotted down in colored pencil and ink into beautiful blooms and other delights to fill the garden with next season.
23. Sunflower Seed Mix
It’s a big responsibility, and bonding exercise, to choose flower seeds for a loved one! This gift will let the recipient know you understand their love of plant life, and appreciate their sunny personality as well.
The beauty of this purchase is threefold:
First, the mix has been chosen to provide season-long blooms, with different varieties – including ‘Autumn Beauty,’ ‘Lemon Queen,’ ‘Mammoth,’ ‘Sungold,’ ‘Sunspot,’ ‘Teddy Bear,’ and ‘Velvet Queen’ – that start blooming between 90 and 110 days from direct sowing.
Sunflower Seed Mix
Second, the included cultivars grow anywhere from two to 12 feet tall, so a gardener can plant a few in a small patch of earth next to a wall or fence, fill a whole raised bed garden, or create focal points in a container or two.
And third, whether you purchase a four-ounce packet or go big with a one- or five-pound mix, there will be plenty to share, as gardeners love to do – so the gift will keep on giving!
All Sorts sunflower mix seeds are available in a variety of package sizes at True Leaf Market.
And check out our guide to growing sunflowers to learn more.
24. Wildlife-Inspired Tree Ornaments
Whether they’re blue jay obsessed, squirrel crazy, or fantastically fascinated with butterflies, celebrate their fandom with hand-painted blown glass ornaments to hang on the tree.
Maybe you’ll choose one of these to commemorate a special day spent birdwatching that you can look back on and remember from year to year, the first time a grandchild watched with wonder as a butterfly emerged from its chrysalis – or that time when the squirrel stole all the birdseed, foiling all attempts at keeping them away so the birds could dine in peace, yet again.
Bright Jay Clip Ornament
The bright jay clip ornament from Old World Christmas measures 2.5 by 4.25 by 1.75 inches and there’s no hook required- the clip to clasp the pine bough of your choosing is built in.
It’s available from Wayfair.
And if the birdwatcher in your life could use a little added focus, complete your gift with a set of Adasion 12×42 high-definition binoculars.
These super bright high-power binoculars are lightweight and feature a large field of view.
They may be paired with the included phone adapter and folding tripod to provide a camera option for shooting photos, and a crossbody case is also included.
Adasion High Definition Binoculars
Take a closer look at the details and find current prices now on Amazon.
If monarch butterflies are more their style, they’ll delight in the sparkling detail of this hanging figurine ornament, also from Old World Christmas.
Monarch Butterfly Hanging Figurine
It measures 2.5 by 4.5 inches tall and wide, and it’s 1 inch deep. Find it now at Wayfair.
With an eye towards spring, this ornament makes a perfect pairing with the Save the Monarchs wildflower seed pack from True Leaf Market.
Save the Monarchs Wildflower Seeds
This gift package from Mountain Valley Seed Co. includes enough wildflower seed to sow their own meadow, and features 13 varieties that help to support monarch butterfly populations.
Plus, 10 percent of each purchase goes to the Monarch Joint Venture, a conservation program committed to supporting monarch butterfly migration, which is currently under threat.
Last up, that hungry squirrel we were complaining – er, talking about. If your loved one just can’t get enough of these little guys, they’ll love this little bauble.
Squirrel Hanging Figurine
Complete with an oak leaf, pine cone, and a mischievous look on his face, this hand-blown glass ornament from Old World Christmas measures 3.75 by 3 by 2 inches, and it’s available from Wayfair.
Just in case you for some reason (ahem) choose to gift the abovementioned artificial rodent as more of a joke, and your loved one has in fact just about reached their wits end with the resident squirrels, couple it with the Jacobi Jayne Ring Pull Pro seed feeder.
Jacobi Jayne Seed Feeder
The tough metal fittings resist chewing squirrels, it’s easy to clean and comes fully apart, every part is replaceable, and it includes a lifetime warranty. Find it now at Nature Hills Nursery.
25. “I Wet My Plants” Pullover Hoodie
Welcome a rookie with a well-placed pun, the lowest (and most popular) form of garden humor. This shirt joyously announces, “Spring is here. I’m so excited I wet my plants.” Ha!
And, if it’s a little chilly when spring kicks off, this 80 percent cotton, 20 percent polyester top offers a bit of warmth along with a few chuckles.
“I Wet My Plants” Pullover Hoodie
The hoodie is available in assorted colors including black, heather, navy, and royal blue, and in unisex sizes small through 2XL. It can be machine washed with similar-color clothing and dried on low heat.
Find prices and select your size from National Gardening Day via Amazon.
Ring in the Holidays with the Top Christmas Gifts for Green Thumbs
From beautiful blooms and plants to hoes and flowered dishes, it’s such fun to buy for gardeners that you may forget the whole concept that shopping for gifts often leads to holiday stress.
But remember yourself in all this. Are any of these thoughtful selections something you’d really like, too?
Go on, treat yourself! Or at least place this list where someone you exchange presents with might see it and get some wonderful gift ideas…
And while you’re thinking about holiday shopping for the deserving gardeners in your life, give these other articles a look next. They’ll help you to find more ideas, and may inspire you to start planning your own garden:
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