40+ best gardening gifts for keen gardeners and first-timers
If you've got a garden lover or passionate gardener in your life, you'll know how important their pastime is to them. Whether it manifests in an obsession with the best garden tools or a constant appetite for new plants, it can be difficult to find the best gardening gift for someone who has it all. We know this only too well at House & Garden, so we've asked around the office and compiled a list of the very best gardening gifts right now.
Our top gardening gifts at a glance:
Don't have time to read our full guide? Here are our top picks:
- Best gift for gardeners: Women's Original Chelsea Boots, £105 from Hunter.
- Best gift for new gardeners: Windowsill Propagator Kit, £21.95 from Sarah Raven
- Best gift for the stylish gardener: The Smethwick Spritzer by Haws, £26 from Amazon
- Best gift for gardeners who have everything: Wildflower 2024 Diary, £25 from Papier
- Best subscription gardening gift: The Vintage Fleur Window Box, from £40 from Window Fleur
- Best gift for indoor gardeners: Wavy Edge Terracotta Bulb Pot, £38 from Straw London
- Best allotment gardening gifts: Japanese Tool Carrier, £130 from Labour and Wait
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Best gardening gifts
Wellies and gardeners go hand in hand perfectly, and these little ones are quite charming. The sides are elasticated so they can be pulled on easily for impromptu pruning or watering, making them great 'by the back door' shoes.
This chic spritzer by traditional watering can manufacturer Haws is available in copper, brass and nickel finishes.
Give your seedlings a strong start with this propagating kit complete with capillary matting for less watering.
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In her new book, the former House & Garden Garden Designer of the Year considers the past, present and future of horticulture as she seeks to answer that very question.
If your loved one has every imaginable tool, from pruners to garden kneelers, then consider this lovely 2024 diary. You can even personalise it with names and dates making this a lovely customised gift.
Under £15
For just £5, these rusty slugs are a charming gesture, or additional bit of fun. Over time, they'll rust and change colour, blending into the soil more.
An easy and universally enjoyed present, these Emma Bridgewater tea towels are printed in the charming house style.
You can't go wrong with a coffee table book full of beautiful botanical illustrations.
Another eco-friendly choice, these paper pot makers allow you to make plant pots from old newspapers. You simply cut old paper into strips, fold the overlap underneath and press it into the mould. This means there is no potting out to be done when it's time, as the paper simply biodegrades.
Every gardener needs a solid pair of snips for pruning, shaping and deadheading. These affordable ones are great to have on hand.
Under £40
These bright and beautiful 'Flora and Fauna' gloves feature archive illustrations of birds and foliage from the RHS Lindley Library. Comfortable to wear, they have cushioned palms and gathered wrists to prevent debris from falling into the gloves.
This lovely bird shelter works both as a garden ornament, or garden decoration, as well as a home for birds. Hanging multiple from a tree at varying heights will create a really lovely outdoor feature.
Essentially a recipe book for creating seasonal bouquets, this covers everything from sourcing to arranging. Erin Benzakein founded Floret Farm in 2008 after relocating to Washington state and this book is imbued with a sense of the charmed life the author’s family enjoys there. The section about garden tools and materials is a checklist of what is needed to take your arrangements to the next level, but those seeking advice on producing flowers from soil to vase be warned – the subject is touched upon only briefly.
The RHS Lindley Library boasts an unrivalled collection of historic books and botanical art, with many images now available as prints that would make wonderful gifts. This lovely watercolour by 18th-century artist James Bolton, Painted Iris and Summer Snowdrop, can be bought as an art print in four sizes – from 36 x 28cm (£10) to 80 x 60cm (£45) – and can also be purchased with a choice of frames. rhsprints.co.uk
Made from 100% jute, this basket would make a great tool carrier, or storage basket.
This gardeners' apron from Seasalt has a very practical cross-back design and deep pockets. It comes in one size (95.5cm long) and a choice of nine colours.
The first book from rising star Ula Maria (who was profiled in the April 2020 issue of House & Garden) tackles the perennial challenge of how to create a garden in a small space. Taking us through 22 designs, including two of her own, she shows how clever use of scale, colour, texture, materials, scent, light and shadow can achieve excitingly different effects and bring character to your plot. Whether you dream of a Mediterranean oasis, a rose-filled retreat or a tropical jungle, Green will help you to make the most of your space, proving that small can indeed be beautiful.
Perfect for softening and nourishing work-worn gardening hands, Tam Mason’s organic sugar hand scrubs feature essential oils. Available in 10 lovely fragrances, including ‘Lavender’ and ‘Mint & Cedarwood’, the beautifully packaged scrubs cost £15 each, from tammason.co.uk.
From a range of stylish garden accessories designed by Sophie Conran, this tool bag is made from heavyweight cotton ticking with a durable PVC coating. It has a capacious central compartment for larger items and easily accessible pockets all the way round for crucial kit such a trowels ad twine.
This pretty watering globe is supposed to be used to drip water into plants, so they get their drinking supply whilst you're on holiday. However, it just looks so lovely that it works from a decorative angle, too.
Made by British artisans from Somerset Willow, these bird feeders would be a beautiful garden feature whilst encouraging wildlife into the garden. In the winter they can be used indoors, to hang dried flowers.
Create your own prints from this sweet kit, available from Plant Be Studio. Simply pluck a flower from your garden and get started!
On rainy winter days when gardeners cannot get outside, this 1,000 piece jigsaw of a beautiful illustration by Anisa Makhoul will keep them occupied.
These frost proof pots are usable both inside and out. Pair them with Straw London's saucers for indoor use.
What gardener's hands don't need a bit of TLC? This beauty set from Bramley makes a simple gift that will be appreciated by all.
This snap brim hat from Cotswold Country Hats is made from water-resistant wool felt with a back grosgrain ribbon and inner leather band. It is available in four sizes and a selection of colours, including mustard.
For something more traditional, why not organise for a flower delivery of beautiful blooms?
Playful oven gloves for bringing the outside in!
Under £60
Window Fleur aims to make the creation of window boxes easier and more affordable. This is the very best present for those who long for a spot of green, but simply don't have the space. Just choose your blooms, and Window Fleur will deliver them to your door (up to four times a year, so you'll have flowers all year round).
From his workshop in Somerset, Steve Overthrow makes traditional garden sieves and riddles for sifting soil–a great gift for those who make their own compost. They range from 15cm to 56cm in diameter.
Noble Isle has a range of wonderful scents, but their greenhouse one might be the very best. This set contains one scented candle, and one bath and shower gel.
This planter comes with four herbs: sweet basil, Italian parsley and chive and thyme. Simply plant them inside and allow the machine to make magic. The smart sensors mean it can adjust the LED's intensity and self-water to create the perfect growth environment.
These secateurs are some of the finest ones you can buy. They are razor sharp and ground in two angles, so they can cut cleanly through wood and tough stems without damaging the plant.
Perfect for budding gardeners and outdoorsy children alike, this den kit provides hours of entertainment. Inside, you'll find everything you need to build a weatherproof den.
Under £100
A beautiful platter that'll look just as good in service as will on display.
This neat Japanese Kotoh X Niwaki folding pocket knife is made from super-sharp, top grade steel and has a beautiful cedar handle. For an extra £12, you can order the leather sheath to store it in.
Over £100
A stylish and practical way to lug all your tools around the garden, this Japanese tool carrier would make a smart addition to any gardener's kit.
Last year we were completely taken with Jam Jar's flower pressing kit, so we were pleased to see it was available again this year. The gift set includes everything you need to create beautiful flower pressings (except the flowers themselves!). It contains and oak veneer flower press with brass fittings, Japanese Niwaki Sentei garden scissors, a Sussex trug, a wild flower identification book, 2x Packets of flower seeds and Bamboo tweezers.
With a green weatherproof paint finish, this wooden potting bench has a dry sink for compost, side hooks, a drawer and shelves. It arrives flat packed for self-assembly.
If you don't have an outdoor space, but want to incorporate greenery in your house, or you want to display cut flowers in a stylish way, this Palladian Auricula Theatre is just the ticket.
A modern twist on a Victorian design, this powder coated bench is available in 20 colours.
The New Herbal, a modern edition of the 1543 manual collated by Leonhart Fuchs, has been issued by Taschen. The German botanist catalogued some 500 plants, with text describing their origins, medicinal properties and features alongside woodcut illustrations. Based on his personal hand-coloured copy, this book will appeal to gardeners, artists and anyone interested in herbal medicine.
Handmade in Japan from heavy-duty indigo denim, the ‘Niwaki Kojima Work Jacket’ has deep double-lined pockets. Available in small, medium and large, it comes in a neat denim tote bag and costs £289, from Niwaki.com.
This glass piece is a traditionally designed cloche, crafted to warm the soil early in the season and protect the plants inside it from pests and frost.
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The 'Original Sussex Trug', is hand crafted using Chestnut and Willow from sustainable resources. So it is a great eco-friendly present. If looked after well it will last a lifetime.
What to give to someone who loves gardening?
There are many routes you can go down on your quest for gardening gifts. If the recipient is trying to encourage wildlife into their garden, perhaps a bird feeder or bird bath would be good choices. If they have a vegetable garden, then plant markers, gardening gloves or a lovely watering can might be useful. Perhaps you are gifting to someone who doesn't actually have a garden but is passionate about plants? Then encourage their indoor gardening skills with a windowsill herb garden.
Our selection of gifts for gardeners is full of gift ideas to make their alfresco world a little more stylish, including the best secateurs we've come across, a well-made work jacket, and a charming flower pressing kit.
Where to shop for gardening gifts
We’ve weeded out all the best garden furniture shops, from specialist places like the Petersham Nurseries Shop, to high street classics like Cox & Cox, and picked the very best presents for our gift guide. We also implore you not to disregard marketplaces like Etsy, where you’ll find a wealth of personalised gardening gifts, like stainless steel secateurs that can be engraved, or plant markers with beautiful calligraphy.
