Best Gifts for Gardeners
What kinds of things are useful for gardeners? We asked the neighbor whose roses we covet all year long, along with friends, family, and gardeners at our favorite local greenhouse. Basically, anyone who we know has success growing things.
Not all of us have a green thumb. In fact, some of us may feel like our homes and patios are where plants and flowers come to die. But it’s likely you have a loved one or friend who is a gardener and you know how much this hobby means to them.
My master-gardener mother was recently gifted a sign that reads “Free Weeds: Pull Your Own,” and the eye roll was visible a mile away. Why not get your gardener a tool that will actually be useful?
Do a little homework and find out what kinds of things the gardener in your life grows. Do they keep a “kitchen garden” and like to grow things like vegetables and herbs that are edible? Or do they prefer flowers and decorative gardening? Unless it’s a cute gift card holder containing a gift card…. ditch the chintzy little gifts you find at the checkout line at the big box stores. Put the set of colorful trowels back on the shelf, and hang the cute garden quote sign back up with the others.
Here are some useful tools they may actually get some use out of.
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The Multi-Tasking Garden Knife:
These are extremely useful for everything from trimming off that rogue vine, to slashing open a bag of soil, to digging up a pesky weed. We love the beautifully-made Japanese Hori knife. This not only looks good, but it's also a multitasker in the garden, in the field hunting or fishing, and has a rust-proof and scratch-resistant blade that's serrated one on side and beveled (sharp!) on the other. The Berry & Bird brand is British and also very well-made. Radius Garden digger will take no prisoners with its comfort grip and blade.
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Hand Weeders/Extractors:
Sometimes you do have to get right down at soil level to weed, and these hand extractors are our favorites:
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Gloves that *Actually Work*
Most gardeners will tell you they have three or four pairs laying around for different tasks. Some gloves that give you protection against thorns on roses or other growth may be too thick for tasks where you need to feel what you’re doing.
We love Wells Lamont gloves for many purposes. And in addition to some of the toughest ranch and work gloves on the market, they also make beautiful gardening gloves. The Wells Lamont HydraHyde are water-resistant gloves with a sturdy leather palm, reinforced fingers, and a spandex back for breathability. The leather is soft and supple but seriously tough.
The Bionic Rose Gloves are something my own mother asks for. These are gauntlet-style gloves that are comfortable to wear, thick enough to protect your hands and wrists, but thin enough to be able to feel what you’re doing.
Most of our team likes Quest’s Kyorene graphene gloves for just about every use around the house, and shop. Naturally, they found their way to the garden, the yard work, and this review. These gloves may feel lightweight but they’re not playing around here. These are cut and puncture-resistant, offering best-in-class protection for a glove this light. Kyorene gloves are made from graphene, which offers UV protection, thermal regulation, odor neutralization, and is bacterio-static.
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Boot Scrapers
Let’s be honest here. Most gardening and landscaping tasks aren’t always going to be super messy but when they are, the muck cakes UP. And no doormat is going to tackle that. The clean-up after any project is the least-liked part, right?
Metal scrapers assist with knocking off the major buildup of mud from a shoe and brush-style scrapers get a little more off, including dried dirt. Easily dislodging mud from shoes, boots, and clogs makes coming inside after a day of hard work in the garden just that much more pleasant.
Bonus- these also do a great job dealing with ice and snow built up on your footwear in the wintertime too!
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