With the holidays around the corner, it’s time yet again to start shopping for the gardeners in your life. While a new pair of gloves is always handy, sometimes you’re looking for something new or different to surprise your gardening friend or family member with for Christmas. To jumpstart your holiday shopping list, here are our top 5 practical gifts for gardeners.
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read our disclaimer for more details.
Irrigation timers
These come in all different price points and levels of sophistication, but are a huge game changer in both flower and vegetable gardens! No more forgetting to turn off the sprinkler or irrigation system and finding a swamp in the herb patch. Freedom to take off for a few days and know your well-loved garden will be regularly watered and taken care of in your absence.
From a simple hose timer to programmable multi-zone irrigation timers or even a wi-fi enabled timer with weather-sensing technology, there’s something for every type of garden or gardener. We have a 4-zone programmable timer that takes care of 4 different sections of our garden with varying water-level needs.
If you want to take this gift to the next level, toss in a hose splitter to make their spigots go even further!
Rocking Garden Stool
There are so many garden stools and kneelers on the market that it can be overwhelming, but you can’t go wrong with the original garden rocker. The adjustable height makes it customizable for each person, the ability to lean forward and to the side to reach that one last weed or tomato sucker without having to strain your back, and durability that withstands season after season in the garden. It’s a perfect gift for those, ahem, more mature gardeners in your life. Also, it was fantastic the summer I gardened in my 3rd trimester of pregnancy. Super handy and back-saving!
Hori hori Knife
Nine times out of ten, this is the tool I’m grabbing when I head out to the garden. The Bare Bones Hori Hori knife can do the work of a trowel and weeding tool even in heavy clay soil, the serrated edge can handle removing unwanted roots, and it even has a twine cutter! To make it an extra special gift, be sure to include the sheath!
Hose Repair Kit
Hoses will inevitably spring a leak! Being out in the UV light, getting run over by the car, or just a simple washer going missing, no hose lasts forever. Whether the connectors start getting loose or there’s a small leak that needs a little hose repair tape, having the supplies on hand to make a quick repair is super handy and makes the investment in quality hoses even more worthwhile.
Trench Shovel
We gardened for many years with a standard shovel and trowel, but this narrow shovel makes quick work of nearly all shrub and small tree planting projects! Works great along borders and edges and cramped spaces of established gardens. If your gardening friend doesn’t already have this handy shovel, consider adding it to their tool shed.
Seed storage box
The seed collections of most gardeners can get out-of-hand pretty quickly. Help your gardening loved one with a seed storage organizer. While I’m fond of the case system that allows me to keep all my seed packets, there are some really beautiful seed boxes and cool vial systems that would be sure to match the seed-saving style of any gardener you may be shopping for.
Hope these practical gifts for gardeners helped get your creative juices flowing for your garden and homesteading loved ones. Find more holiday ideas here.