Even the greatest gardener can benefit from gifts that keep on giving. Let us be your guide to some useful and beneficial gifts for the greenest of thumbs.

Indispensible Gadgets

Pollen Bee Nest

A nest of bees may not sound like fun, but don’t worry: we’re talking about gentle mason bees who do the important job of pollinating plants without all the stinging. A Solitary Pollen Bee Nest is not only an amazing gift for your gardener, it’s good news for the dwindling bee population, which is in serious danger. These scientifically-designed bee nests are better than the typical wooden mason bee houses because they attract a wide variety of native, solitary bees; protect the nests from moisture and cold; and guard against predatory mites and bees.

Potmaker Paper Pot Press
Most serious gardeners start seeds early in the year and transplant seedlings into the ground when the weather warms up. This early planting is usually done into plastic flats containing small compartments for each plant. What gardeners don’t often admit, however, is that it’s very difficult to pry fragile little seedlings out of these flats. Not only that, eventually the flats grow brittle, wear out, and become useless. This is where a pot press comes in. This simple wooden tool makes biodegradable plant pots out of repurposed paper that can easily be put into the ground where they break down faster than store-bought biodegradable plant pots. With so much paper on hand for pot-making, your gardener will never run out of supplies.

Kits for the Curious

Even the most professional gardener enjoys a fun kit that has a certain visual appeal and lets them try something new. Use these kits inside the house and bring a little part of the garden indoors for the winter.

Dawn Redwood Bonsai Forest Kit
This fast growing bonsai kit includes the unique Dawn Redwood, an ancient tree related to the coastal redwoods of California. The Dawn Redwood is a deciduous coniferous tree, with light green foliage that turns bronze in autumn and ultimately drops off, bringing the changing seasons into the house for everyone’s enjoyment. In addition to moss and redwood seed, the kit includes seedling training pots, organic growing medium, bonsai scissors, river stone, a recycled steel bonsai box, and instructions. Growing a Dawn Redwood from seed allows you to train your bonsai according to your own aesthetics and style while cultivating a practice in mindfulness.

Recycled Grow Bottle Basil Kit
This elegant herb growing kit is hand crafted from a recycled wine bottle and uses simple hydroponics to produce stunning results. Featuring clay “grow” pebbles and wool instead of soil, this kit can be used again and again after each “crop.” Not only will it look amazing in any window, the Recycled Grow Bottle was the winner of the Eco Choice Award for most innovative product at the 2011 New York International Gift Fair. It has a brilliant, simple design that will become a conversation starter in any home.

Bulb Growing Kits
If flowers are more your loved-one’s style, a Holiday Amaryllis or Paperwhite Narcissus may be just the right fit. These complete grow kits include everything you need to achieve gorgeous blooms, including a bulb, organic growing medium, and a handcrafted growing pot. Follow the simple directions for a gift that will continue to bloom every year. You can also learn more about growing and caring for holiday plants here.

Seed Saving Kit
Seeds are near and dear to the heart of any gardener, and many gardeners save their own. This seed saving kit makes saving seeds a simple task, with a set of seed tins, labels, stakes, and complete instructions. It also helps keeps your seeds well-organized and has handy charts that will help a beginner get started in this very rewarding process. Seed savers will appreciate this gift because there’s nothing more difficult than keeping tiny seeds organized!

Copacetic Composters

Composters are one of those things that just about all gardeners have, and your gardener might too. But don’t let that stop you from upgrading your loved one’s composter to something a little more versatile or productive. There’s nothing a gardener likes better than a practical, durable composter that works its magic quickly.

Worm Factory 360
Do you have worms? If that’s how you want to start conversations from now on, then this is the gift for you. The Worm Factory 360 brings vermicomposting to the home through its innovative vertical design. The unit is odorless and comes with a thermometer, tools for raking, an instructional DVD, and a bedding starter kit made from rock dust, coconut coir, and pumice. Don’t forget to order worms with it so they can be rushed to your door! These little helpers will process 5-8 pounds of waste each week and deliver ultra-rich worm castings and organic liquid fertilizer right from a spigot.

Green Cone Solar Waste Digester
Take your composting to a whole new level with solar power using the Green Cone Solar Waste Digester. You will be able to compost just about any household food waste, including meat, fish, bones, dairy and light pet waste. This unit doesn’t produce compost for garden use, but rather diverts items from the landfill. The digestion chamber is able to remove 90% of the waste material by funneling moisture to the soil below. You could also consider getting a compost keeper to use with this or any other composter.

Terrific Tools

There may be nothing a gardener loves more than high quality garden tools. Many gardeners already feel guilty enough about the price of their hobby, so you can relieve them of this terrible burden by giving them the tools they’ve been coveting all year.

Maine Garden Hod
What is a garden hod? The word hod is an old word that has been used since the 1500s, although its origins are uncertain. Whatever its meaning, hods have consistently been used to carry things. The Maine Garden Hod originated in New England as a way to carry fresh-dug clams and mussels home from the beach. The wire mesh allows the sand to fall off, and gardeners and farmers adopted this clever design for a harvest basket. After picking or digging, vegetables can be hosed off quickly, making these hods just about the most attractive harvest baskets ever invented.

Sunlight Calculator
Every seed packet and every plant comes with a small (and vague) set of instructions that includes the amount of sun a plant needs to thrive. Descriptions like “full sun,” “partial sun,” “partial shade” and “full shade” are common enough, but how do you tell how much sun a specific part of the garden is getting each day? A Sunlight Calculator does exactly that. Set this clever tool in an area of the garden to measure photosynthetically active radiation light over 12 hours. After completing its readings, the Sunlight Calculator will indicate which light requirement that particular area of the garden will meet. This brings a whole new level of precision to plant placement that any gardener will appreciate.

There are many other gifts out there that gardeners will appreciate. For more suggestions, visit our shop’s gardening category or ask us for more advice. You can also live chat with us at the top of the page.