Gifts for Gardeners

Gifts for Gardeners

With the upcoming holidays, some of you are getting a jump on buying Christmas gifts. Flower gardeners and vegetable gardeners need similar equipment but for the serious, avid gardener, some specialized tools are especially handy. Here are some great gift ideas for the gardeners in your life.

First, let’s start with the easy gifts that any gardener would love. In the Bemidji area, several top-notch garden centers and seasonal greenhouses have gift certificates available, sure to please anyone. You can also purchase gift cards online to seed companies.

Beginning gardeners would appreciate hand tools, such as a dandelion digger, trowel, hoe, a hand pruner, or other tools such as a sprinkle can, a harvesting basket, gardening gloves and a rake. A book on beginning gardening would prove valuable as well.

For the flower gardener, a bulb planter is a thoughtful gift. Very sharp garden scissors to use when picking flowers for a bouquet is another idea. Unique pots and vases to showcase beautiful flowers are gifts that show off your green thumb.

For the indoor gardener, choose a plant mister, a grow light, a book about houseplants, a new plant with a decorative pot to place it, or an herb garden kit.

For the serious gardeners, I have found that a Hori Hori knife is invaluable. Mine came with a leather sheath, has inch measurements etched into the blade, is sharp on one edge and serrated on the other, and has a pointed tip to handle a variety of chores. For the “no till” gardener, a broadfork to loosen the soil for planting, makes for a practical gift.  Another tool I pick up often is a “Cobrahead” weeder. A garden journal comes in handy to jot down your notes each year.

As gardeners age, sometimes the normal tools don’t work as well. There are ergonomic hand tools, battery operated pruners, trimmers, and other tools to make tasks easier. I bought a battery-operated pruner to use when I prune my fruit trees.  I also have a garden bench that I use to sit on or to kneel on when working in the garden. It has an attached pouch to keep hand tools nearby. Knee pads are a thoughtful gift. A raised bed garden box is helpful, so we aren’t bending over so far and for so long.

Clothing for the gardener includes not only gloves as I mentioned, but wide brimmed hats to keep the sun off.  Long sleeved shirts made of UV fabric protect from the fiercest sun. A pair of overalls make for more comfortable gardening.

With these gift ideas in hand, it is time to go shopping for your favorite gardener.

The Beltrami County Master Gardeners operate a “Hotline” for gardeners who have questions from March 1 through October 31. Please call 218-444-7916 and leave a message with your name, phone number and a short description of your question or problem. Your call will be returned as soon as possible.