With the festive season fast approaching, thoughts turn to Christmas gifts but finding something personal for family and friends can sometimes be a stressful and time-consuming experience.
Fear not however – I have five great Christmas gifts for gardeners so read on and have another mince pie!
Take a break
As all gardeners will know, a well-earned break between digging and planting is something we all look forward too, so why not treat them to a garden themed mug. I am a huge fan of Emma Bridgewater pottery, and my husband is always amazed that I can squeeze yet another mug into our cupboards! I have bought myself the ‘Gardening Tools’ mug this year and with a ½ pint capacity it is perfect for a thirsty gardener. In subtle colours, it will appeal to gardeners of all ages and the £19.95 price tag won’t break the bank. Emma Bridgewater also has a whole range of garden themed mugs and accessories including ‘Setting Up Home Potting Shed’ ½ pint mug and ‘Dig The Earth’ spiral calendars (£9.95) and tea towels (£12.00). Available from Emma Bridgewater and other stockists of Emma Bridgewater products, like John Lewis.
Bags of storage
My next go to Christmas gift for gardeners would be a bag for your gardening tools to keep your smaller tools together and with the added advantage that you can then hang them out of the way for a clutter free shed. Burgon & Ball are currently selling Sophie Conran Tool Bags for £25.99 which are ideal as they are lined with a hard-wearing PVC coating, so it is easy to keep clean. As well as the sturdy construction, it has accessible pockets round the outside so you can tidy away your trowels, secateurs and seeds and reserve the large central compartment for larger gardening items. Burgon & Ball have an extensive range of everything related to the garden and as their tools are RHS-endorsed, you know that you are getting a quality product. They currently stock an extensive range of garden tools that are boxed and beautifully presented. Again, their Sophie Conran small tools like Dibbers, Forks and Weeders are individually boxed with a gift tag and range in price from £16.99-£30.99. Go to Burgon and Ball to see everything that they have to offer.
Perfect Potting Bench
Another great Christmas gift for gardeners is a potting bench for all your propagation and planting needs – it also helps to prevent an aching back as everything is at worktop height. A great example of this is a potting bench with hooks, drawer and dry sink for your compost from GARDENESQUE and is priced at £199. It comes in a lovely pastel green and has been dried and treated with a weatherproof finish so it will survive the seasons and still look fabulous. It does require some easy self-assembly but should only take one person to complete the task. Go to their extensive website to order and to see their full range including their Christmas shop.
Cover up!
As all gardeners know, digging and planting can be a messy business so to protect your clothes (and yourself) why not invest in a gardening apron. I already have a short, personalised denim version (£29.95) from Notonthehighstreet.com but also have my eye on a Studio Apron from Sea Salt Cornwall (£27.50) which is long enough to protect me from compost and other garden delights. It comes in a choice of colours, is a unisex design and machine washable so easy to clean. Check out their other outdoor offerings, including Storm Chaser Wellies (£45) for toasty toes in a winter garden or opt for Original Chelsea Boots at £95 from Hunter.
National Garden Vouchers
If you still can’t decide what to buy as a Christmas Gardening Gift, why not choose a National Garden Gift Voucher? These can be spent at participation garden retailers across the UK and can be used for thousands of products – perfect for those who are tricky to buy for. You can buy eVouchers, Gift cards and Paper vouchers from £5 to £250 online or check out the store locator on the website which will tell you where you can buy and spend a National Garden Voucher.
Happy shopping and happy Christmas from The Garden Fairy x
