Gifts for Gardeners

Christmas is just around the corner, and if you have been procrastinating buying presents, I’m guilty of waiting till the last minute; you might be looking for some gift ideas for the plant lover in your family. Last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to present during the December Garden Hour on Enabling Gardening for All. I found many fabulous gift ideas I wanted to talk about for this year. If you are looking for some cool tools, check out these ideas. Hopefully, one of these will work for that hard-to-shop person in your life.

  • The first one I will admit I purchased for my father for his birthday last spring. One of my Masterbattery pruners Gardeners recommended it, and we tried it out during the fruit tree pruning workshop I held during the spring. These electric hand pruners are excellent for people who have arthritis in their hands or have a bunch of plants that need pruning. There is a wide variety of brands out there that work equally well. The one word of caution is to watch your fingers when using them because they cut pretty quickly, and they can easily nick fingers.
  • garden seatA stool might be an excellent option for the gardener who works out in the garden, lawn, or landscape. This particular picture combines a stole with a removable tool bag. Seats can help spare your knees, and a wide variety of options of shapes, sizes, and colors are available. Some excellent options convert from a stool to a padded kneeler. These options work well for someone who might have trouble getting off the ground or working closer to the ground.
  • Keeping the weeds down between rows without getting down on your hands and knees can be aweed weasel digger challenge, especially if you have arthritis or mobility issues. I snagged this cultivator/weeder from a garage sale earlier this year. Each of the teeth can help work up the soil and dig up small weeds as they are getting started. The long handle enables you to stay upright, so you don’t have to get down on the ground, and the small size is perfect for working around plants or between rows.
  • bulb planterAnother tool I found during my research is these augers that can be used on corded or cordless drills. These come in several sizes, but I love the longer ones, so you don’t have to be down on your hands and knees. They were initially designed to help plant bulbs, but I can also see them working well when planting smaller bedding plants or vegetables in the spring. Several other types of attachments for weeding have been developed for drills, with new ones coming on the market fairly frequently.
  • For the serious gardener who struggles with weeds, the Tertil weeding robot might be your option.weeding robot Based on the Roomba, this solar-powered robot is weatherproof and patrols its territory, cutting small weeds down as it goes. From what I've been told, the Tertil covers about 200 square feet and does relatively well. This is a pricier gift but is perfect for someone who goes on vacation during the growing season.

If you are still stumped for gift ideas, consider buying an Amaryllis bulb for them to plant and bloom this spring, a gift card to a local greenhouse that they don't usually visit, or a "coupon" book to help them in the garden this coming year. There are a ton of options for gifts that can be given to that hard to shop for person this season.

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Have questions? Contact our office where our Horticulture Extension Agent will assist you with questions.

Phone: (316) 321-9660

Email: callae@ksu.edu