Gifts for Gardeners and Plant Lovers

Gardeners wear tools out, lose them in the beds, and quietly put up with cheap ones for years. The best gifts are the sturdy versions of things they use every weekend, plus a few that help them grow something new over winter.

Under $25 8 ideas

  1. Corona ClassicCUT Bypass Hand Pruner, BP 3180

    A reliable, resharpenable pruner for someone who keeps losing cheap ones in the mulch. Good as a spare to keep by the back door.

    CoronaStocking stuffer

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  2. Radius Garden 102 Ergonomic Aluminum Hand Trowel

    The odd circular grip keeps the wrist straight, which matters to anyone with sore hands after an afternoon of planting bulbs.

    Radius Garden

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  3. Pine Tree Tools Bamboo Gardening Gloves for Women

    Thin enough to handle seedlings and pull small weeds, but coated palms keep soil out. Most people only own one bulky pair.

    Pine Tree ToolsStocking stuffer

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  4. O'Keeffe's Working Hands Hand Cream

    Dry, cracked knuckles are the gardener's uniform by October. This thick, unscented cream is the one many of them already swear by.

    O'Keeffe'sGets used upStocking stuffer

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  5. XLUX Soil Moisture Meter

    A no-battery probe that ends the guessing on houseplants and pots. Especially useful for anyone who has drowned a fiddle-leaf fig.

    XLUXStocking stuffer

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  6. Luster Leaf Rapitest Soil Test Kit 1601

    Tests pH, nitrogen, phosphorus and potash at home, so they can stop guessing why the tomatoes sulk. A good winter-planning gift.

    Luster Leaf

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  7. The Vegetable Gardener's Bible, 2nd Edition

    A plain-spoken guide to raised beds and organic vegetables, with good photos. People keep it on the shelf for decades.

    Edward C. SmithBook

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  8. Espoma Organic Garden-tone 3-4-4 Plant Food

    A slow-release organic fertilizer for vegetable beds. A consumable they will actually use up by spring, not another thing to store.

    EspomaGets used up

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Under $50 7 ideas

  1. Nisaku NJP650 Hori-Hori Weeding Knife

    A Japanese digging blade with a depth gauge and serrated edge. Gardeners who get one tend to stop using their trowel entirely.

    Nisaku

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  2. Fiskars 4-Claw Stand-Up Weed Puller

    Pulls dandelions root and all without bending over. A kind gift for an older gardener or anyone with a bad back.

    Fiskars

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  3. Ohuhu Garden Kneeler and Seat

    Flips from a padded kneeler to a low stool, and the side handles help them get back up. Folds flat for the shed.

    Ohuhu

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  4. Dramm One Touch Rain Wand, 30 Inch

    A gentle shower head on a long reach, good for hanging baskets and seedlings that a hose nozzle would flatten.

    Dramm

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  5. Haws Handy Indoor Watering Can

    The long thin spout reaches under leaves to the soil without splashing the windowsill. Haws has made watering cans since 1886.

    HawsFor display

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  6. Hydrofarm Jump Start Seedling Heat Mat

    Peppers and tomatoes germinate far faster with warm soil. Lets them start seeds indoors in February without a greenhouse.

    Hydrofarm

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  7. Fiskars PowerGear2 Bypass Lopper, 32 Inch

    The geared joint makes thick branches feel easy. For the person still wrestling with an old pair of loppers from the hardware store.

    Fiskars

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Under $100 4 ideas

  1. Felco F-2 Classic Manual Hand Pruner

    The Swiss pruner professionals use, with replaceable blades and springs. They will own it for thirty years and probably never buy it for themselves.

    Felco

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  2. Okatsune 103 Bypass Pruners

    Hand-forged Japanese pruners with a famously clean cut, a favorite of rose growers. A step up for someone who already owns Felcos.

    Okatsune

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  3. Root Assassin Shovel, 48 Inch

    A serrated shovel that saws through roots when dividing perennials or planting near trees. A tool they did not know they needed.

    Root Assassin

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  4. WORKPROX 20V Cordless Grass Shear & Shrubbery Trimmer, Pink

    A small battery trimmer with two swap-in blades: one for lawn edges and one for shaping shrubs. It saves their wrists on the jobs hand shears make slow. The wall charger is not included, so add a USB-C plug if they lack one.

    WORKPROX

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$100 and up 3 ideas

  1. Click & Grow Smart Garden 9

    Grows herbs and greens on the kitchen counter all winter with built-in lights and pre-seeded pods. Ideal for the gardener with nothing to do until April.

    Click & GrowFor display

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  2. Gorilla Carts GOR4PS Poly Garden Dump Cart

    Four wheels and a quick-dump bed are far steadier than a wheelbarrow when hauling mulch or soil across a lawn.

    Gorilla Carts

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  3. Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller, 8 Zone

    Replaces an old irrigation timer and skips watering when it rains. For the homeowner gardener with an in-ground sprinkler system.

    Rachio

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