Gifts for Gardeners

By: Jackie Sledge

Big Country Master Gardener Association

Where has 2025 gone?  It’s December, and we are all making lists and checking them over and over to be sure we have Christmas plans in place and gifts in mind for everyone.  Maybe I can help with ideas for the gardeners and the want-to-be gardeners on your list.

Doug Welsh included a section about “Holiday Gifts for Gardeners and Yardeners” in his book Texas Garden Almanac, so here are some suggestions he makes (and some I added) to help since Christmas is just a few weeks away.

Books and Magazines:

• There are so many books and magazines from which to choose, but he recommends focusing on the ones written for Texas gardening.  (Two of my favorite books are Lone Star Gardening by Neil Sperry and Texas Garden Almanac by Doug Welsh, and I usually look at them every month to check out the garden tasks for that month plus other information important for that particular month.)
• You can find Texas gardening books on general gardening and others on specific topics such as perennials, herbs, fruits, vegetables, and landscaping.
• Texas gardening magazines provide timely articles and gardening ideas.
• Garden calendars are produced by a variety of groups, and many of them provide educational tips to help the gardener know what to do and when.

Equipment and Tools:

• Lawn equipment such as lawn mowers can make lawn care easier.  (I want to add that this also applies to other tools such as garden tillers, weed eaters, and leaf blowers.  If you purchase a battery-powered tool, an extra battery will be useful.)
• Gardeners can never have too many pairs of gloves, and a nice pair of gloves will reduce the wear and tear on a gardener’s hands.  (I’m adding that if the gardener grows roses or other thorny plants, rose gardening gloves or thorn proof pruning gloves will be a welcome gift to protect both the gardener’s arms and hands.)
• Pruning tools are always appreciated.  They vary in price and quality, so this is an opportunity to upgrade a gardener’s pruning shears, loppers, pole pruners, hedge clippers, or pruning saws.
• Planting tools are also appreciated.  These include shovels, rakes, hoes, and hand tools that a gardener will find very useful. 

A gardener can never have too many pruning and planting tools.  These items can accidentally be left out in the garden or misplaced in the garden shed, so it is nice to have some that are easily accessible in the front yard and others to use in the back yard.  There are water-proof tool caddies or holders that can be placed in the garden or flower bed so you can have tools handy everywhere you work in the yard.

I am always looking for tools and equipment that are easier to use and allow me to complete gardening tasks with less stress.  Here are some items I have found useful:

• A folding wagon is a must for everyone.  It is easy to store, easy to carry, and holds quite a few pots, tools, plants, and other gardening items.  It is also useful for bringing groceries and other purchases into the house, moving items from room to room in the house, hauling bags of trash to the dumpster, and taking drinks, food, equipment, and folding chairs to sporting events.  This has been one of my most useful purchases.
• There are many garden tools that have been designed to create less stress on the body.  I have purchased several of them as gifts after I bought and used them to help me with my gardening tasks.  There are ergonomic hand tools that lessen stress on hands and wrists, and I really like the ergonomic weeder I have used for several years.  There are shovels and forks with round grips on the end of the shafts to make working the soil easier.  I have discovered that using this type of shovel has lessened stress on my shoulders and back.  My latest discovery has been a Dutch hoe that is used with a pushing motion instead of pulling, and I was able to clear a section of my yard much easier and faster than with a traditional hoe.
• I purchased a battery-powered weed eater a couple of years ago when the gas weed eater became too heavy and difficult to use.  It has been wonderful!  I have a couple of batteries, so I have enough power to complete the yard by simply changing out the battery when one loses its charge.     

Accessories:

• Items such as pottery, wind chimes, bird feeders, bird baths, fountains, and water gardens can be used to accessorize a landscape.
• This is an opportunity to add a theme, twist, or fun item to a garden.
• This is also a great time to buy something your gardener friends might not buy for themselves.

I can think of several other accessories that friends or I have received and were appreciated:

• Raised beds make gardening easier because they lessen bending or sitting on the ground.  You can purchase beds in a variety of materials, sizes, heights, and colors, and they can enhance the beauty of your landscape.  I have waist-high raised beds on the front porch and lower ones in several locations in the back yard.  I put raised beds under a couple of oak trees so I can have beautiful plants that can grow successfully without having to compete with or damage the tree roots.
• Pavers, stones, or bricks for patios, walkways, or edging are always appreciated. 
• Gardeners would really like to receive a pop-up greenhouse or portable mini walk-in greenhouse to protect vulnerable plants during cold weather.  I received one as a gift a couple of years ago and have used it successfully during the cold winters.
• If the gift budget is a large one, then a regular greenhouse would be a wonderful and much-appreciated gift.  Gardeners love their plants, and many of us have some treasured plants that won’t survive cold weather.  A greenhouse solves that problem and provides someone with a place to garden successfully year-round.

Plants:

• Plants make great gifts.  They celebrate the holiday, and they can create special memories for the gardener. 
• Trees are good gifts because they provide a lifetime of enjoyment.
• Many gardeners like and enjoy fruit trees, so they are welcome gifts.

Garden Tours:

• Some companies specialize in travel tours that focus on fine gardens all over the world, gardens across the state, or events featuring gardens.

Gift Cards:

• If you are unsure about what a gardener would like or use, then gift cards to local nurseries, garden centers, or landscapers are welcome gifts.

I think my husband must have read an article on gifts for gardeners because one year he gave me a beautiful red garden tiller with a big red bow on it.  I wasn’t particularly excited or happy that Christmas morning, but I soon found out that was the most useful, thoughtful gift he could have given me.  Early last year I mentioned that I needed a small, battery-operated chain saw to help with trimming trees and larger shrubs after I had spent a long time cutting down several large hollies that had not survived the frigid winters and the brutal summer heat.  I was really surprised last Christmas when I opened a box that held a small chain saw.  He had heard me and remembered what I wanted! 

These are just some ideas for holiday gifts your family and friends will enjoy.  You might leave a list or pictures of gardening items lying around your house so your family and friends will get the hint about what you would like to unwrap on Christmas morning.  If there is something listed here that you really want, then make a copy of this article, and highlight it so they don’t have to think about what to get for you!

Merry Christmas, and hopefully you will receive the gardening items that will make your dreams come true and gardening more enjoyable.

BCMGA offers several education programs each month.  There is a program at 6:00 p.m. on the 1^st Tuesday of the month at the South Library Branch in the Mall of Abilene, and the same program is offered again at 10:00 a.m. on the 2^nd Friday of the month at the Downtown Library.  Watch the BCMGA website and Facebook page for the topics and the dates of these monthly programs.

If you have any questions, call the Taylor County Extension Office at 325-672-6048 or email us at mgardeners@yahoo.com.  We hope you visit our website at bcmgtx.org for information on all Big Country Master Gardener events, like us on BCMGA Facebook, and check out training presentations on BCMGA YouTube.  We are here to help you.

Until next week, Happy Gardening!