Happy holidays! We want to talk about gifts for gardeners, and help you decide what to get that special gardener in your life.
With the holiday season and my birthday both coming up, my husband recently started asking me for some gift ideas for myself. He’s a good gift giver but definitely needs some guidance. So, of course, I was happy to put a list together!
I started to itemize some of my favorite gardening items for him to choose from. As I was going through this year’s wish list, I realized that others have to be in a similar situation.
So, this list is for all of you spouses and significant others out there who might be struggling with gift ideas.
This list is also good for the gardeners out there who need to provide their families with gift ideas.
Let’s get started with talking about space requirements for your plants.
Space Requirements and Solutions
The first topic I want to talk about is space requirements for plants. How much room do your plants need? If they need more space to be happy, just think of the possibilities for gifts for gardeners.
As you can imagine, adding more plants to your collection means you will need more square footage just for the pots they’re planted in. And as plants grow in size, their roots become larger so you have to re-pot them in larger pots. The larger pots take up more real estate than the smaller ones did.
Confession time. I might be a plant hoarder.
My family and friends started giving me plants due to my obsession. More and more plants! My collection is growing, their pots are growing in size, and I wasn’t complaining!
My husband, on the other hand, was getting frustrated with the special requirements that the additions to my “garden family” needed. To ease his mind and get some counter space back, I was determined to find a space solution for the plants so I could keep the plants I love.
And maybe continue to add some more. He won’t notice!
Hooks
A simple and inexpensive gift for gardeners. The first solution that I found for my gardening space concerns was the easiest: hooks!
Hooks are a simple solution for those small pots that may have draping plants in them or that can benefit from hanging from the ceiling.
If you don’t mind screwing the hooks in, these 2-inch ceiling hooks from eBoot are a great option. They can hold any plant up to 6.6 pounds (3kg) in weight. The 2-inch hook allowed me to hang anything from hanging pots, macrame holders, or anything else I could think of hanging.
Don’t worry if you don’t want to put any holes in your ceiling. There are products available for that!
These reusable hooks are a great product for those lighter-weight pots. The hook works by sticking to the ceiling with a light adhesive. The best thing is that you can take it off at any time and even reuse it!
Just a warning though, this hook can only be used on flat ceilings. I tried to use it on a textured ceiling. The suction eventually wore off and the entire contraption crashed to the floor, breaking the pot.
Lesson learned: just keep the pot light, find a flat surface to connect to, and you should be good to go!
Shelves
Another perfect gift for gardeners! Shelves to put your plants onto.
My favorite space-saving solution is these floating shelves.
The manufacturer did a great job of simplifying the shelving process and giving you unique options on how to configure your shelves. The shelf is made with solid wood and the brackets are a matte black.
They come in three sizes:
- Large: 16.5 × 6 × 4.8 inches;
- Medium: 14.2 × 6 × 4.8 inches;
- Small: 11.4 × 6 × 4.8 inches.
You can configure your shelves to have the brackets above the shelf, below your shelf, or a mix of the two. There are unlimited possibilities of how to create a unique environment so you can have a garden as a wall feature!
Personally, I love putting my draping plants on the shelf. Before these shelves, my draping and vine plants were always hanging off the counter or draped across a table (like my Golden Pothos in the picture). This simple solution helped clear up some space.
The best part? It only took me 10 minutes to set up! Plus, it’s always fun to have an excuse to use power tools.
Another shelf you can consider as an option is also great for hanging because it has a bar on the bottom. The shelf is made with solid wood and the brackets are powder coated black color. The bar on the bottom can hold hanging plants. The maximum weight capacity is 40 pounds.
Macrame
If you have extra time and are feeling adventurous, give macrame a try! You can get the hangers already made or make them yourself.
Normally, I bought the hangers already pre-made and ready to go like this assortment with five different beige hangers and the hooks. Amazon reminds us that the plants and pots are not included. This is a quick and easy solution to hanging your pots. They are very well made and will fit in with any decor.
If you want to purchase only one hanger, here’s the link to one I like. It’s 35 inches long and has no tassels.
And if you want one with a wood shelf for the plant to sit on, here’s a really cute macrame hanger with a wooden shelf for the plant.
Make your own macrame hangers! I took a shot at weaving my own as a project and fell in love with macrame. After making my own macrame hangers, I really gained an appreciation for the craft. A friend of mine is a wizard with macrame. Here’s a link to Patterns Hub’s instructions so you can make your own macrame planters. And here’s a link to the supplies you’ll need: macrame rope and the metal O rings.
Plant Stands as Perfect Gifts for Gardeners
Hanging plants or plants on shelves, not your style? No worries, I found solutions for that too! Plant Stands!
I had a beautiful Monstera plant sitting in my entryway but had issues bending down to water it. I found a gorgeous plant stand that will match any interior styles and pots while bringing your plants up to a higher level. It’s made of rust-proof heavy-duty metal.
Pots off the floor and raised up are both winners for the plant!
One thing to remember if you’re using terra cotta pots: the pots breathe and the outside can become wet. They can’t sit on carpet or wood because moisture can get trapped under the pot. This moisture can cause damage, and can even lead to mold forming under the pot. The moisture and mold could destroy your carpet or floor.
I found this mid-century plant stand was a great solution for the snake plant that I had in a terra cotta pot. The stand gets it up off the floor and looks great in the corner. The plant stands are 14″ tall. They come in four sizes to fit the pot (8″, 10″, 12″ and 14″), and three colors (brown, dark brown, or natural).
Another option for a mid-century plant stand is 20″ tall and can be adjusted to the size of your pot. They come in walnut or natural wood color.
Pots for Plants
A very simple, and always needed, gardening gift is pots! A gardener can never have too many pots on hand!
If you have plants that you need to transplant, new plants looking for a pot, or you just need some reserves, these 4.7-inch pots have saucers and come in a 4-pack. They are nice little pots that look really good and won’t break the bank.
Here is a set of three ceramic pots in various sizes. Each one has a bamboo draining tray so your furniture is safe from water stains and the plant soil will be able to drain.
Grow Lights
You know when you have a hobby, but you can’t do that hobby right now for some reason? It’s that way with gardening.
A great gift for gardeners is something that will allow the gardener to grow plants all year around.
Why wait until summer to use your green thumb? Grow lights provide the sunshine that the plants need to thrive indoors.
Living in Washington poses some weather problems that may not be a concern elsewhere.
It gets cold and wet during the winter, and we can’t grow plants outdoors all year.
When we moved from sunny California to Washington, it was during the summer so my succulent garden transitioned well. But as the weather got colder, I started to worry about the health of my succulents.
We wanted to set up an indoor succulent garden but we had some concerns. Our indoor garden had to be as efficient as possible as far as energy and time to save on our sanity and our electric bill.
I found these grow lights to be a great indoor gardening solution.
- They offer a full spectrum of light while still being really energy efficient.
- These lights do not put off any heat either.
- So you can have your plants as close to the light as you want without worrying about them getting burned.
24-Hour Timer To Regulate Watering
I did find a great indoor 24-hour timer that is super simple and easy to set up.
Just set it up and forget it! Well, you can forget worrying about turning off the lights anyway. I had the lights and timer set to be on during specific hours of the day.
I never forget about my plants! If you’re reading this post, I guarantee you won’t forget about your plants just like me.
Your plants are always on your mind.
Watering System
Plants need water to thrive. Watering is a never-ending task. Do you ever find that you forget to water the plants? I do!
I found another solution that you might like: an automatic watering system.
This one is a drip irrigation system with a 30-day digital programmable water timer. It runs on power and can be run on four AA batteries.
One thing I recommend: Be sure to order extra hose! There is not enough of the hose in the package.
Back to Gardening Basics
And finally, you can’t forget the basics for the gardener in your family. Gardeners can always use the basics like potting soil, gardening gloves, a good trowel, and a watering can!
Everyone needs potting soil. I highly recommend Happy Frog Potting Soil for any of your plant needs. I fell in love with this company because the soil can be used for both indoor and outdoor gardens and is a high-quality soil. This unique mix is alive with beneficial soil microbes and mycorrhizal fungi and is excellent for use in containers.
Gardeners are always getting their hands “dirty” playing with the plants and soils. Help them keep their hands clean with the gift of gardening gloves. These gardening gloves are not expensive, and the package has 10 pair for your gardener to keep handy where needed.
And for that person who has to dig the soil with their hands, try these waterproof gardening gloves with claws. They look so funny! I think I will create a Halloween costume around them for next year.
I have several trowels that are my favorite, depending on what I am using it for. You can get narrow trowels for transplanting seedlings, rounded trowels for placing bulbs, wider ones for the vegetable garden, and even trowels that will cut through roots. The best all-round trowel is this basic Fiskars Ergo trowel.
Normally I use the hose for most outdoor watering. I do have a dedicated watering can for sprinkling my outdoor garden and always keep it close for convenience.
What about watering your inside gardens? For indoors, I wanted to find a simple can that would be solely for indoor use but could be stored out of sight easily if needed. This one is perfect! And you can choose red, green, or white.
Happy Gifting for Your Gardeners!
As I said, all of these are great gifts for any gardener during the holiday season or for birthdays. We’ve included the Amazon links to each of the items to make it easy for you to shop.
Please follow us and let us know if you find any other great gift ideas that we can add to our list!
And you might enjoy our post 12 Tips Every Gardener Should Know.
Happy Gardening!