Gardens
Give the gardener in your life something they will really appreciate, writes Hannah Stephenson
Gift ideas for gardeners, plus Allotment Tales
Whether you’re buying for a beginner gardener, a keen allotment holder or a horticultural expert, there are gifts out there for every gardener. Here are just some of the tempting gifts on offer this Christmas.
1) Engraved personalised slate plant marker £9.99, Getting Personal (gettingpersonal.co.uk)
Made from natural slate, covered in a waterproof lacquer, this slate plate marker will create a pretty focal point at the front of a flower bed or nestled into a large pot. The sign can be personalised with a surname (up to 15 characters) to read ‘Bees & Butterflies Welcome In The (surname) Garden’.
2) Gardeners’ hamper various prices, Dobbies Garden Centres (dobbies.com)
Create your own hamper, putting in gloves, small tools, books and delicious goodies, plus anything else that takes your fancy and you think the gardener you’re giving to will enjoy. The price will depend on what you put into the hamper and once you’ve chosen your gift box or wicker basket, the garden centre will add the filler, wrap it with a bow and gift tag it for you for free.
3) Garden gloves £15, Marks & Spencer, available in store or online (marksandspencer.com)
These pretty gardening gloves make the ideal stocking-filler. Adorned with a lovely floral print, they are made from a strong, tough leather and cotton combination, perfect for protecting yourself while weeding or tending to your flowers and vegetables.
4) Can You Dig It? Gardeners hand care duo £39, Crabtree & Evelyn (crabtree-evelyn.com)
Give tired hands some TLC with this botanic hand care gift set including soap with clarifying cucumber, antioxidant-rich rosemary leaf and soothing aloe leaf juice, and hand therapy formulated with skin super hydrators, macadamia seed oil and shea butter, to help replenish lost moisture.
5) Meadow catapult £30, Seedball (seedball.co.uk)
This unusual gift features a handcrafted beech catapult with rubber and real leather sling. Each catapult comes in a cotton canvas bag with a tin of 20 Sky Meadow seed balls – giving the recipient a fun way to scatter a meadow. The seed mix consists of all blue-flowering wildflowers including cornflower, forget-me-not, meadow cranesbill, self heal and wild clary. Each tin covers about 1sq m, but you can buy extra tins or bags of seed balls.
6) British Bloom pruner and holster set £19.99, Burgon & Ball (burgonandball.com)
‘British Bloom’ is a combination of designs featuring early 19th century illustrations, and watercolours dating back to the 1630s, selected from the RHS Lindley Library. The Rhs-endorsed pocket pruner carries a 10-year guarantee and features softgrip handles. The holster features the eye-catching British Bloom design, finished with grey trim, ideal to slide on to a belt for gardening on the go. Presented in a letterbox-friendly gift box.
7) Aquarium £249.99, Hozelock (hozelock.com)
If your loved one has always wanted a water feature which won’t take up much time, space or energy, check out the Hozelock Cyprio Aquarium which takes the inconvenience out of installing a pond. The above-ground unit has side-viewing windows to allow you to observe your fish and can be easily installed, even on a roof terrace. The makers say it will only need one person to assemble it, with a ‘twist and lock’ system.
8) Cactus collection £12.99, Crocus (crocus.co.uk)
The cacti craze looks set to continue well into 2019, so be on point stylewise and treat them to a collection of these spiky low-maintenance house plants, which can be grouped in singular funky pots or mixed in a larger container for a more eyecatching display. And you’ll hardly ever need to water them.
9) Peckish Secret garden wall hanging bird table £19.99, available from garden centres, B&Q, Homebase and Wickes
Even if you haven’t much space, you can attract birds to your plot with this metal wall hanging feeder which has a ledge at the base on which to place seeds. Its decorative leaf design and attractive verdigris finish will add rustic charm to any back garden.
10) Anvil secateurs RS4000 £24.99, Wolf-garten (wolfgarten-tools. co.uk)
Most gardeners love a new pair of secateurs for Christmas but it’s important to invest in a comfortable pair. These anvil secateurs are more suitable for larger hands and have a soft grip handle and internal spring mechanism for ease of use. They are able to cut up to 25mm and unlike some other secateurs, the upper blade is replaceable.
11) White lilac & rhubarb charity home candle £47, Jo Malone (jomalone.co.uk)
A mixture of delicate floral and fruity notes bring the scent of the garden indoors and this latest addition to Jo Malone’s charity candle collection gives buyers – and recipients – a feelgood factor. For each charity home candle sold in the UK, the company will make a donation equal to 75 per cent of the price (less VAT) to support individuals and families affected by mental health problems, through dedicated projects with charities including Thrive.
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