6 Gardening Gifts That’ll Please Even the Pickiest Gardeners on Your List | Gardening Tips and How-To Garden Guides

It’s never too early to begin thinking about your gift list. If there’s a passionate gardener in your life, a gift to help them better enjoy their favorite hobby seems like a no-brainer.

Gardeners can be a picky group, particularly about tools and other gardening supplies. Experience has taught them that there are lots of inexpensive but poorly-made products out there. Most can point to a garage or shed filled with unused gadgets and broken implements that promised to make digging, weeding or pruning easier and faster, but didn’t.

For that ideal gardening gift this holiday season, look to established companies that have been making high-quality garden products for decades.

Here are six options sure to thrill the gardeners in your life.

Spear & Jackson Kew Garden Tool Collection Stainless Steel Digging Spade

Spear & Jackson have been making gardening tools since 1760, so you know they’re doing something right. I don’t remember exactly how long I’ve had my digging spade, but it was a Christmas gift in the early 1990s. It’s seen me through more than 30 years and three gardens. It’s a little banged up, but as strong and reliable as the day I got it. Made of stainless steel with an ash wood handle, this 41-inch-long spade is more expensive than the ones you’ll find at big box stores, but worth every penny. 

The Bartley Burbler Two-Pint Watering Can

Haws is another long-lived brand known for quality. This British company’s copper, metal and plastic watering cans range in size from a half-pint to two gallons, and are well made and comfortable to use. My copper one-pint can has stood me well these past 30-plus years, but this two-pint charmer, with its brass rose and pleasing design, is on my holiday wish list. 

Gorilla Tubs

These flexible polyethylene tubs available in various sizes seem indestructible. I have five or six in different sizes. Though I’ve kicked and tossed them around for years, they haven’t split or torn. I use them to collect weeds or leaves, soak dried-out plants, carry rocks and hold potting soil. You can even drill holes in the bottom and use one as a planter. The bright colors are fun, and keep them from disappearing in the garden or shed. Sizes range from 12.5 ounces to 20 gallons. 

Wilcox 14-Inch Digging Trowel

This long, pointed-edge trowel means business, whether it’s digging a hole or scooping up soil. It’s my constant companion at bulb planting time, because it has a ruler on the blade that lets me know when I’ve reached the right depth. I’m rough with tools and have knocked this all over the garden, hosed it off, and it looks good as new. 

Potting Tray

While I don’t have this exact tray, I have one similar, and boy, does it come in handy when it’s time to pot up all those plants I overbought at the garden center. I simply dump in a bag of container mix, and start potting away. It’s roomier than working in a bucket, I can move it wherever I want, and the high sides keep everything contained. 

Women’s Muckster II Low Slip-On Shoe

The Muckster II is a comfortable, slip-on neoprene gardening shoe that keeps your feet warm and dry. I’ve had my pair at least 15 years and they’re still going strong. While the nylon fabric on the instep has worn a bit, the rubber treads are still grippy, with no splits or leaks. They’re my go-to shoes for the garden, and so comfortable I wear them running errands on cold or rainy days. Available in women’s and men’s whole sizes.

When it comes to gift shopping, I’d like to also put in a good word for your local, privately-owned garden center. They often stock unique gifts, tools and plants for the holidays. Garden centers make most of their money in the spring and the cold months can be lean. Buying from one in the winter is a great way to support local business.