The holidays are right around the corner—you can feel the excitement in the stores. It seems like stores put up their Christmas decorations earlier and earlier every year.

Gardening is America’s #1 hobby and you can bring a lot of smiles to others by giving gardening presents.  Gardening gifts bring warmth to the heart—even when it is frigid outside.

Amaryllis is a great holiday gift. It is showy and one of the easiest plants to grow. Many stores offer amaryllis bulbs and that is fine. I encourage you to go online and look at the wide variety of flower colors and bulb sizes available. A quality bulb company can offer extra large bulbs that will grow not one, but two flower stalks. This will greatly prolong the bloom period, and the bulb will be more likely to bloom in future years. Always remember: the bigger the bulb, the better.

A Norfolk Island pine is another fun plant to give. It looks like a tiny Christmas tree. Decorate it with some ornaments and perhaps slip it inside an attractive pot. Solar illuminated LED pots are a popular gift this year—they glow at night!

Lightweight gardening hoses are getting popular. They coil up easily, making storage a snap.

Good pruning tools are always appreciated. A pocket knife is a handy gift. This year a popular gift is a watering can in the shape of a mouse. Fun!

A new shovel, spading fork or quality hoe may seem like a simple gift, but it will be appreciated by a true gardener.

Nitrile garden gloves are very popular this year. They are lightweight, colorful, washable and reported to be as tough as leather. 

Hand scrubbing lotions will clean and moisturize our hands (the most important gardening tools). 

An avid gardener would love a garden cart to help them move plants and tools around the yard.

We all need to eat more vegetables and fruits. A juicing machine can help us to get all the servings we need for a healthy diet.

Herb drying racks, scissors that mince herbs, and pickling crocks are thoughtful gifts. A dehydrator can convert our garden produce into nutritious snacks.

Thermometers, soil thermometers, and rain gauges provide valuable information to a gardener. A heating mat can get their transplants off to a strong start this spring. 

Bird feeders attract the beauty and curious movements of wildlife to our surroundings. Make sure you include some bird seed to go with it.

Gnomes and other garden statuary are risky gifts, but sometimes these gifts bring the biggest smiles! Remember to include the gift receipt.

When all else fails, a gift certificate to a local garden center or a gardening catalog will put a smile on your friend’s face.

Happy holidays!

Contributing source: Gardeners Supply Company. 2014. Gifts for gardeners. Accessed November 13. Burlington, VT.

Written by Tom Kalb, Extension Horticulturist, North Dakota State University. Published in the NDSU Yard & Garden Report, November 15, 2014. Photos were made available under Creative Commons licenses specified by the photographers: Susanne Nilsson; Led Furniture Supplier In…; and Food Thinkers.