Find the perfect Christmas garden gift for the beginning gardener on your holiday shopping list. Our gift guide features 12 gifts including must-have tools, informative books, and more!
Gardeners need tools, supplies, books, and other resources so they can dig, plant, and prune their way to a great looking garden. Beginning gardeners need all of these items as well, they just might not know exactly what they need or what to buy for themselves since they are still learning.
This is where you can help.
With our gift guide below, find 12 Christmas garden gifts for you to choose from meant to help beginners with their garden maintenance tasks. We’ve hand-selected each garden-related item based on the following two criteria: is the product smart and/or is it sustainable?
This holiday season, rest assured that the gift you choose from our list below will benefit a first-time gardener. Now it’s time to surprise that new homeowner, first-time gardener, or anyone else on your list (including yourself) with one of these useful products.
Read on below to find 12 great ideas, inspiring gifts, and smart, sustainable products for the gardener on your holiday shopping list.
Beginning Gardener Holiday Gifts
You might have started thinking about the perfect gift for the gardener or new homeowner in your family, but are unsure what they could possibly need.
Since gift-giving is meant to come from the heart, selecting a gift for those closest to us can be extremely difficult and almost exhausting. This could be because we want to give the perfect gift, they might already have everything they think they need, or they are just hard to buy for or hard to please. You know who we’re talking about.
New gardeners need the following items:
- Basic gardening tools – hand pruners, rakes, shovels, etc.
- Garden gloves
- Watering supplies – hoses, nozzles, watering wands, water timers, etc.
- Seeds
- Bulbs
- Containers to plant in
- Education – books, guides, etc.
- Products to attract pollinators
And much, much more. These items above will help them learn and grow their garden maintenance skills.
Therefore, browse our list below, read each product’s description, check out the price, and if it fits your needs, go ahead and purchase that gift!
Sorry, we won’t be able to gift wrap it for you.
Christmas Garden Gifts
With the massive amount of gift ideas out there, let’s narrow it down a bit. Below is your exclusive list curated especially for the beginning or first-time gardeners, new homeowners, or anyone in between.
Let’s get shopping!
1) Corona Hand Shears
First-time gardeners often lack the proper tools and supplies because they just don’t know what to buy.
We’ve tested many different types of pruning shears over the years and one thing is for certain: we always come back to these Corona ClassicCUT bypass pruners for so many reasons.
These pruning shears are a smart choice because they are dependable and durable for that first-time gardener. With their steel construction and design, these hand pruners will give them the cleanest cuts on their plants. Plus, they are super durable for use in different pruning situations and weather conditions.
We especially like how these pruners feel in our hands. With the 1-inch diameter cutting size, the ClassicCUT makes pruning easy and seamless. The ClassicCUT consists of two forged-steel pieces. The upper and lower handles pivot on the center bolt with the cutting blade and cradle the extensions of the handles for the two-piece cutting system. This means very few pieces to maintain or the potential to fail. This is a great feature for first-time gardeners.
2) DRAMM Watering Wand
In case you’ve never heard of them before, Dramm is a company that specializes in awesome watering products and tools for the home gardener. We’ve had the pleasure of meeting some of the Dramm team and they could not be more enthusiastic about their USA-made products. Also, they are socially-conscious and support the Ohio-based charity Free to Smile for children.
We love their watering wands, spray guns, their valves, hoses, and so many other products they make. You can tell we’re big fans.
These products are both smart and sustainable for so many reasons. They package their products in sustainable, low waste packaging and their products are designed to use fewer resources
Do you know your gift recipient’s favorite color? Choose from their hose, wands, and more in either orange, red, yellow, purple, blue, or green. The wands are really comfortable to use and they offer a One Touch line that has a thumb control valve to control the water flow.
Choose your favorite color and water your garden in style! The perfect Christmas garden gift!
3) Orbit Water Timer
Various garden tools can help a new gardener learn to become a better steward of the environment through their own garden maintenance. This product is one of those tools.
This water timer is a great tool for an eco-friendly yard. By setting the timer to the length or frequency they choose, they can save time and money on precious resources and their bills.
We love our Orbit water timer. We have a LOT of plants, trees, and shrubs around both our front and backyard and we feel good knowing that we only use water as needed.
This product is sustainable (and therefore a smart choice too) because it’ll help the new gardener monitor the time their water is running and therefore lessen the amount of water that is used.
For the water-conscious, eco-friendly, first-time gardener, this water timer is a must-have.
4) Self-Watering Container
For beginning gardeners who are busy, travel a lot, or just generally forget to water their plants, a self-watering container is a perfect gift. This type of watering system eliminates the need to hand-water because it has a water reservoir and small pipe system which helps the plant material suck up water as needed. The reservoir can usually last for up to a few days or more.
This self-watering container is actually an entire garden growing kit by Earthbox. It is awesome because not only does it self-water, it includes the container, seed packets, fertilizer, and 4 castors to attach to the bottom so it can roll.
Your gift recipient can grow everything from veggies to herbs to flowers. Maybe a self-watering herb garden they can come home to after a long day of work? It can be used on balconies, decks, windowsills, and even indoors!
This product is s smart choice because it is easy to use and who doesn’t love a kit of garden goodies?
5) Garden App
Have you ever considered gifting an app? It’s easy to do through a share function (or other means) and can be a great gift for someone always on the go (and always on their phone).
For the technology-minded, first-time gardener, there are several apps out there available to download related to gardening. Most apps are free but some apps have a fee.
A few examples of apps available at Google or iTunes:
- PlantSnap – A plant identification app (free)
- PlantSnap pro – Same as above but more advanced ($9.99)
- Waterbot – For tracking a watering routine (free)
- Indoor Plant Guide (free)
- FlowerChecker – A plant identification (free to start, then paid)
These products are smart because they can help a new gardener with their flower, leaf, or tree identification while they are working in their garden. The downside is the accuracy of each individual app can vary, but we felt it was an interesting idea to consider. Especially if you’re on a budget!
Take a look at these apps and maybe you’ll find a good option!
6) Heirloom Deluxe Garden 30-Pack Seeds
Many first-time gardeners are interested in growing their own food but might not be sure which kind of seeds to plant due to the overwhelming variety of heirloom, organic, and hybrid.
Heirloom seeds are our pick because of their robust flavor, and sense of history due to preserving the vegetable’s heritage. Plus, we thought it was fun to think that the same tomatoes or beans that were eaten 50+ years ago could be grown in our own garden.
This 30-pack of heirloom garden seeds from True Leaf Market would be the perfect way to get a new gardener started with their own food production garden. We grew these seeds in our garden last season and they were amazing quality. Plus, this kit is a great assortment of veggies, herbs, and flowers We’re really busy and we just didn’t have the time to individually select and order all of these heirloom seeds individually.
These heirloom seeds would make a great Christmas garden gift as they are both smart and sustainable. The idea of a kit of seeds is just a smart investment overall and they are sustainable due to the fact that they can be saved and grown for years to come (and due to the fact that the food we grew from these seeds tasted AMAZING).
Here is a preview of some of the seeds included in this Deluxe 30-seed pack:
- Tomatoes (2 species)
- Greens (many varieties)
- Squashes (multiple varieties)
- Peppers (2 species)
- Cantaloupe
- Root vegetables (multiple types)
- Cucumbers
- Herbs (Basil, dill, oregano, and more!)
- Flowers (Nasturtiums, sunflowers, and more!)
P.S. Check out our podcast interview with the Organic Seed Alliance for more about organic and heirloom seeds.
7) Gardening Gloves
Gardening gloves are a must for any gardener in order to protect their hands and handle rough materials. We love these Bellingham Bamboo Gloves because they are super tough, snag-resistant, and puncture-resistant. Perfect for a beginning gardener.
Bamboo fiber is an awesome, sustainable material because bamboo trees are one of the fastest-growing woody plants. Therefore, this product passed our “sustainable” test.
Plus, these gloves are machine-washable making them even more sustainable (they just need to be hung dry).
Gift these garden gloves for a holiday gift that will last for many seasons to come.
8) Composter (Gardener’s Supply)
Is the first-time gardener in your life interested in zero waste, eco-friendly gardening? Introduce them to composting!
A composting tumbler, like the one pictured below, is great for the time-sensitive gardener. Sure they can just throw some scraps in a homemade bin, but this way they can eliminate the smell and it is really easy to use for beginners (although there is some setup of the product involved). Plus, it is a great option for those with less space.
They won’t have to dig or mix anything by hand which takes a lot of time and effort. Every few days they just need to crank and turn it over a few times.
This product is smart because it saves time, contains all the compost, and eliminates an open-air bin that could easily attract critters. This composting tumbler is also sustainable because it is made of recycled polypropylene (the type of plastic compound used to make prescription bottles, yogurt containers, etc).
We love this product because it is more affordable than the other expensive composting tumblers and offers the same value.
In addition to the tumbler, consider these other supplies for a composting gift set:
- Organic compost starter
- Kitchen countertop compost bin
- Starter book: “Composting for a New Generation: Latest Techniques From the Bin and Beyond”
9) Power Planter Bulb Auger
New gardeners need a few power tools to help them with their garden projects. For bulb planting, digging in the dirt, or digging other types of holes, we love our Power Planter Bulb Auger.
Augers are drill bits with enlarged grooves or channels that literally dig into garden soil and move it up and out of the ground. We use our bulb auger for planting our Daffodils, Tulips, and Crocosmia bulbs in our garden.
We purchased the Power Planter Bulb Auger with huge plans to plant over 100-bulbs in and around our garden. In the past, we had always dreaded planting bulbs because we had to hand dig all the planting holes. Not with this auger. This tool freed up time, lessened the physical need to dig and plant, and eliminated soreness in our backs or knees. We love it!
This bulb auger is easy to handle and use right out of the package making it a smart option for a garden gift.
They might also need:
10) Flower Bulbs
Spring-planted bulbs that bloom in the summer are a great gift idea for anybody, regardless of their level of gardening expertise. If the first-time gardener on your shopping list has a new landscape to fill, why not help them out with the gift of beautiful, spring-planted, summer-blooming flowers?
May we suggest Eden Brothers for the amazing variety of bulbs they offer? Eden Brothers is a seed and bulb company that we love and have purchased from many times. Their products are healthy, ship quickly, and are of great quality.
They recently announced their spring-planted bulbs are ready for pre-sale. Here is a preview of some of the options:
And so many more! Their bulbs made our gift list because they are a sustainable gift that will bloom year after year (with proper care, of course). You can give a gift that keeps on giving!
The best part about Eden Brothers is that they will not ship the bulbs until the time is right for the growing zone. You can pay for them now and they’ll be shipped in the spring.
Plus, they also offer gift cards if you can’t decide.
Dahlia Bulbs – Decorative Mix – Bag of 5, …
Varied Heights, 8 Inch Flowers. Late Summer Blooming, Easy to Grow, Mixed Colored Flowers… [More]
Price: $26.95 Buy Now
11) For the Pollinators
Pollinators make the world go round, right? Or, at least they feed the world. We love attracting pollinators, such as birds, bees, and butterflies, to our yard and do so every season.
If your first-time gardener has never attracted pollinators to their garden space, help them get started.
We could not narrow down our list so we included a few of our favorite products for you to consider, such as a bird feeder, this hummingbird feeder, or a mason bee house. And, if they have little ones of their own at home, here is a great bird feeder option that will let them watch wildlife up close!
Hummingbirds will show up all year (depending on their species) and this feeder is our favorite. Our little Anna’s hummingbirds love this feeder (and actually fight over it). We make sure to keep it full of sugar water throughout the cold, winter months when their food sources are more scarce.
These pollinator holiday gift options are both smart and sustainable because pollinators need more habitat and your gift recipient can attract them to their own yard.
12) Beginning Gardener Reading Set
Everyone loves books, right? A first-time gardener needs to build their gardening know-how and there are so many amazing books on the market!
Unfortunately (or fortunately) we could not narrow our list down to just one book so we decided to feature three AWESOME books and create our own beginner gardener collection!
All three of these book options below are both smart and sustainable.
By the way, we’re starting a Spoken Garden Book Club because we love gardening books. Learn more here!
1) Gardener’s Guide to Compact Plants
Is the new homeowner on your list space-challenged? Or, do they live in a suburban environment but want low maintenance plants?
This book is perfect for anyone who wants to grow veggies, herbs, flowers, and more in a container garden or small space.
The author, Jessica Walliser, highlights various plants, including edible plants, flowers, and shrubs that are compact. Perfect for gardeners learning about container gardening, have a balcony garden, or who just are interested in plants.
For new gardeners who want to learn about plants, they will love this book.
2) Field Guide to Urban Gardening
Urban gardening is a way of life for many gardeners who live in smaller spaces.
The author, Kevin Espiritu, explains how anyone can grow plants, no matter where they live. He discusses vertical growing, indoor plants, balcony gardens, hydroponic systems, and more.
This book will guide the beginner to create a gardening plan that suits their needs.
3) Beginner’s Illustrated Guide to Gardening: Techniques to Help You Get Started
First-time gardeners lack the basic know-how at first and need helpful resources to help them grow. This book offers step-by-step instructions and photographs to help anyone follow along.
The author describes how to select the correct flowers, trees, and shrubs for a new landscape. Plus it teaches vegetable gardening steps and more.
Help your new gardener grow with this great resource.
Other Gift Resources
If you looked through our 12 gift ideas above but didn’t find anything that jumped out at you, maybe these other gift guides below will help?
- Eco-Friendly Holiday Garden Gifts – DIY Garden Minute Ep. 37
- Top 10 Garden Tools You May Not Actually Have (And Never Knew You Needed)
- Best Garden Tool Sets: The Perfect Holiday Gift for Those Gardeners in Your Life!
- 7 Holiday Garden Gifts Under $100: DIY Garden Minute Ep. 39
12 Days of Christmas Garden Gifts Conclusion
This garden gift guide above was curated with a list of smart, sustainable products intended to serve as your shopping resource for first-time gardeners, new homeowners, or anyone in between.
We hope you found one (or maybe more) of our 12 Christmas garden gift ideas above to be the perfect fit for your shopping list. If not, we hope you got a few ideas for something else that was not on our list.
Now we want to hear from you!
Is there anything missing from our list above that you feel has to be included? Let us know by leaving a quick comment below and thanks!
Thanks and see ya in the garden!
~Sean and Allison
P.S. Find us on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram so you don’t miss a thing!
P.P.S. Join our Spoken Garden Reads book club and stay up to date on your gardening knowledge.
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