The Top Gardening Gifts to Surprise and Delight Your Green-Fingered Friends

Statistics suggest that over 42% of people in the UK enjoy gardening in their leisure time. That’s a sizeable portion of the British population and goes some way towards explaining the green and yet diverse landscape we call home. Whether you love or hate the British weather, or simply can’t work it out from one day to the next, this changeable climate with cold, wet winters and damp, warm summers creates some fantastic growing conditions. If your friends and family are amongst the 42% of garden lovers in the UK, then you might find yourself searching for the perfect gardening gifts, so to help you out, here are just a few green fingered ideas. 

Gardening books 

There’s nothing a gardener loves more than pictures of gardens! Through the glossy pages of a gardening book you can inspire even the most novice of gardeners to pick up a trowel and transform their little part of Britain into something glorious. There are lots of different types of books to choose from, all of which make great gifts for gardeners. These might include: 

• Books showcasing the best gardens from around the UK or further afield. 
• Books about seeds with advice on what to sow when and where. 
• Gardening books with tips and advice on cultivating fruit and vegetables. 

You can give a book as a standalone gift, or combine with some of our other ideas below, into an outdoors-inspired present. 

Gardening tools 

On initial consideration, you might find gardening tools a little too functional or practical to make a good gift, but when you think about it, there are many reasons why choosing these practical options makes sense. Firstly, the tools you select as a gift may be higher quality and from better brands than the individual might choose for themselves. Secondly, if you know your recipient’s current gardening tools have seen better days, then receiving a replacement is almost guaranteed to brighten their day. Finally, there are sets of gardening tools that have been compiled with gifting in mind, so these will be readily available, particularly ahead of the summer months and the Christmas shopping season. 

There are many types of tools that can make great gardening gifts including hand trowels, garden forks, secateurs, spades and rakes. 

Gardening accessories 

Gardening accessories offer a slightly more glamorous side of gardening equipment and include items that can easily be given as gifts. Practical though they may be, you can match the perfect item to your recipient by thinking about styles, patterns and colour schemes to accommodate their taste. Some of the accessories that make great gifts for gardeners include gardening gloves, watering cans and kneeling pads. 

The gardening gifts they can’t get enough of: pots 

If you are totally stuck for gardening gift ideas, then why not go with the safe option of pots. Either with or without a plant to go in them, pots are a very versatile gardening gift as they can be used indoors or outdoors depending on their style, design and functionality. They can also be used to transfer plants that have outgrown their current pot and are great for those who don’t have borders or places to plant out. Many keen gardeners will admit that there is no such thing as too many pots, and if you happen to buy them something that they can’t fill, then it’s just a great excuse to head to the local garden centre or nursery and stock up on some new varieties. 

Outdoor clothing 

When thinking about gifts for gardeners, don’t just limit yourself to the items they’ll need to actually do the gardening. Expand your gift ideas to what they might like to wear to comfortably and practically enjoy this pastime. You can’t go wrong with a pair of wellies, as they keep the feet warm and dry and are easily cleaned down after digging in the mud. Similarly, a sunhat is a great gift for the warmer months as it protects the head and neck from overexposure to the sun, which can easily be overlooked when you’re busily pruning and weeding. 

Other gardening gift ideas 

If you haven’t been inspired yet, or your recipient has all of the gardening gifts mentioned above, it’s time to think outside the box. Here are just a few less obvious gardening gift ideas: 

• Bird feeders and feed 
• Garden gnomes and ornaments 
• Bee houses 
• Plant labels 
• Canvas tool carriers 

You can also think about the things your recipient would love most at the end of an arduous day in the garden – a nice hot bath, a cup of tea (or something stronger!) and somewhere warm and cosy to snuggle up. Think tea and biscuit sets, bath salts, hand cream or a gorgeous wool throw. 

For all of these gift ideas and more visit lifestyle retailer Roxtons and browse their range of gardening gifts.