Trying to think of a unique, uncommon gift for a serious gardener is hard – especially if you aren’t into gardening yourself. Being an experienced gardener, I pulled together a list of uncommon gifts to fit any budget, and gifts that are sure to be loved and used every season. Hint: we don’t need cute fabric gardening gloves or another trowel.
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Here are 12 uncommon gifts to get for the serious gardener on your list:
1. An Indoor Hydroponic Growing System
Experienced gardeners always start seeds indoors to get a jump on the season, and an indoor hydroponic system is perfect for that! Most come with everything needed to start a few plants, and can be used every season by adding new peat plugs and seeds. Bonus – houseplants grouped nearby get the benefit of the grow lights, which gives them a nice boost during the winter.
2. Garden Hose Watering Wand
A 36″ long watering wand with 9 different patterns is so useful in the garden! A fine mist is needed for tender seedlings, while a gentle shower pattern is needed later on in the season. A quick turn of the dial on the nozzle changes the watering pattern, and the wand fits any garden hose. The long wand handle makes it perfect for hanging baskets and hard to reach plants.
3. Suede Gardening Gloves
Every serious gardener has a pile of gloves for weeding and general gardening chores, but a pair of long suede gloves are what’s really needed when working with roses, raspberry bushes, and any thorny plants. Suede gloves will last for years, and keep their hands protected from those nasty thorns. Your favorite gardener will kick ass and take names when wearing them!
4. Pruning Shears
Every serious gardener needs a good pair of pruning shears! When it comes to cutting tools, Fiskars is the brand I turn to. (All my sewing shears and pruners are Fiskars.) They are sturdy, yet small enough to fit into the back pocket of my jeans.
5. Bonsai Shears
Every time I go out to the garden, my trusty pair of bonsai shears are in my back pocket. I use them for quick pruning jobs, snipping herbs, cutting flowers for making arrangements and picking vegetables such as eggplant, squash and peppers. Some veggies are a little tough to pick without doing harm to the plant, so bonsai shears come in handy!
As you can see in the photo above, I’ve painted the handles of my bonsai shears with some orange nail polish. Normally, the shears are the same color as the soil, and every time I put them down, I can’t find them! The orange handles solved that problem! You could add a bottle of orange nail polish to your gift, and look like a genius when you explain what to use it for. 😉
6. Compost Bin
A plastic tumbling compost bin is the best thing EVER! I have one and love it. When empty, it’s light and easy to move around to an ideal location. Mine is at the edge of the vegetable garden, but still close enough to the house so I can dump kitchen scraps in it after cooking.
7. Mini Greenhouse
An easy-to-assemble and disassemble mini greenhouse would be a gift any serious gardener would love to receive. Here’s mine – stationed in the sun right by my back door.
I use it for starting seeds once it gets warm out, storing seedlings until the garden is ready, and like in the photo above – a place to stash plants I bought from the nursery until I am ready to plant them. Once it gets warm enough to put plants directly into the garden, the whole greenhouse disassembles quickly, and I keep all the parts in a 5-gallon bucket in the garage – ready to grab the following spring.
8. WORX JawSaw
O.M.G. this thing is the best invention ever! I borrow my cousin’s JawSaw for trimming saplings and branches that are too big for the pruning shears, and I can’t believe how great this thing is. It’s easier and lighter than a chain saw, but still has enough power to cut a sapling down. It weighs about 8 lbs., so cutting is easy. Coolest – and probably the most uncommon – gardening gift ever!
9. Florist Knife and Sharpening Stone
For flower gardeners, a florist knife and sharpening stone make a great gift! When making floral arrangements, stems should always be cut on an angle, and with a knife – NOT scissors. (I say that from years of experience as a floral designer and owner of a florist shop.)
Finding one that has the right blade length and perfectly balanced handle isn’t easy, so I took the guesswork out of it for you. And to keep it sharp, the best thing is an old-fashioned whetstone. Bonus – the whetstone is great for keeping pruning shears, bonsai shears, sewing shears and kitchen knives sharp too!
10. 3-Prong Cultivator
Weeding the garden is back-breaking work, but a long-handled, 3-prong cultivator makes the job so much easier! A few scratches on the soil pulls out weeds (as long as they are still small), and saves all that bending over and/or kneeling in the dirt.
11. Wooden Sussex Garden Trug
Pretty AND functional! A wooden garden trug is ideal for harvesting vegetables, herbs or for gathering flowers to bring indoors. Wood makes it so much sturdier than a basket, and a lot prettier than an old 5-gallon bucket.
12. Dual Wheel Contractor Wheelbarrow
For the really serious gardener! The one who moves around a pickup truck full of cow poop, bales of peat moss, new fruit trees to plant and shrubs that come in 5-gallon pots.
Ya gotta have a serious wheelbarrow to do those jobs! One with dual front wheels gives the wheelbarrow stability when moving heavy and awkward stuff. They aren’t cheap, but should last a lifetime – and then some.
Any one of these gifts are sure to make your serious gardener very, very happy! If you want to see my recommendations, click here.