Holiday Gifts for the Gardener

This time of year, we get asked a lot to recommend gifts for gardeners. We talked with our staff, and here are some of their favorites for people on your list who like to dig in the dirt:

A tool they wouldn’t necessarily get for themselves, but will keep forever – A really nice quality garden tool will last for generations and makes working in the garden more enjoyable. We carry a few lines of truly high-quality tools that any gardener would love.

Rogue Hoes are made from recycled agricultural disc blades and hard ash handles for great durability. Awesome gift for the vegetable gardener! The ProHoe company is a family-run business started in 1990 in Munden, Kansas, where Rogue Hoes are still manufactured today.

DeWit Dutch gardening tools are also durable, well-balanced, and come with a lifetime warrantee. Willem de Wit started his blacksmith company in 1898 in a small village in northern Holland. Today, the 5th generation of the forging family is running the company. Their long tools and hand tools are some of the best in the world, combining old-fashioned quality with innovative designs.

Felco pruners set the standard, and a good cutting tool makes an amazing difference in the garden! Sharp, efficient pruners are really wonderful gifts for both vegetable and ornamental gardeners. Felco pruners come in a range of sizes – so there’s one to fit the largest hand to the most petite.

The EarthBox is something we recommend to a lot of people because it’s a great growing system with a ton of applications. If the seasoned gardener in your life is fighting with deer, an Earth Box planted up near the house or on a deck means they might actually get to enjoy their tomatoes. For renters, it’s a portable raised-bed that can grow greens, herbs, tomatoes, peppers, the works! For kitchen gardeners, they can have ingredients right outside the door. And for beginning gardeners, it’s pretty much fool-proof.

For the green gardener, we have some great gift options. Compost-keepers for the kitchen are better than a bowl for collecting food scraps – way more attractive, and they come with replaceable odor filters too!

Rain Barrels (made in NC from 100% recycled material) allow gardeners to keep watering during drought conditions; cut down on municipal water use all of the time; and rain water is better than tap water for watering plants. A really thoughtful present for an ecolology-minded gardener.

Lastly, we wanted to suggest some stocking-stuffers for people who like to work in the garden.

• Tick Key – an effective tool for removing annoying (and dangerous!) ticks
• Gloves – An extra pair of gardening gloves is always welcome!
• Water-proof garden marker-for keeping track of seedlings and plants
• A Ball of Garden Twine – because you know the kids have misplaced yours