My Favorite Gifts for Any Gardener

Everyone knows a gardener. That friend who always has dirt under their nails, who owns at least one pair of overalls and goes on entirely too long about the quality of their tomatoes. What do you get such a person for a gift? The absolute best option is a gift certificate to their local garden center. If you're shopping for a gardener and want to really dazzle them, let me, a lifelong gardener, give you some guidance. If you want to give them something to open, though, here are my favorite picks.

A garden hod

From vegetable gardeners to flower gardeners, everyone loves a hod-a fancy name for a type of basket. And if they already have one, they'd certainly love a second one. Better than the regular baskets, boxes, or bowls gardeners sometimes wander around the garden with to collect things, a hod is made specifically for that purpose. Sturdy, weather and water resistant, these garden carriers arehandy and beautiful.

• Maine Garden Hod ($64.99)

A personalized weather station

If there was a vanity for gardeners, it'd be a weather station, and when I finally got one, I figured it would just be a novelty. Instead, it's become absurdly useful. I get notifications of lightning miles away, signaling rain coming in. I know precisely how much rainfall my yard has seen, and the conditions in my garden, specifically, not the city's measurement, which can be taken miles away. Additionally, this data can be used for smart watering systems. It installed in seconds, and is one of my favorite pieces of garden tech.

• Tempest Weather System ($339)

A hand spade

While you can be sure your gardening friend already has a spade, they could always use another. They often get left around the yard, and having more than one is convenient. If you're going to get one, though, choose one of good quality. I love a wood handle that will survive the seasons.

• Heavy Duty Polished Stainless Steel Garden Shovels ($9.99)

A smart bird feeder

If you garden, you'll eventually come to bond with the local wildlife. I'd thought about a smart birdhouse for a while, but I can't begin to describe how charming it is to be delivered videos of birds checking into your yard. These up-close photos and quick clips let you learn the personality of the local birding set, and have become a real integral part of my day.

• BirdBuddy Smart Bird Feeder ($299)

Gardening books

Every year, tons of new gardening books hit the shelves: Books on better ways to garden and how to make money at it, and more artistic books that focus on the color, intention, and zen of gardening. Like eye candy for people who love to dig, these books are great this time of year to inspire us as we suffer through the cold, garden-less months. Here are some of the best from 2024. Also consider audiobooks for those gardeners who prefer to listen as they putter about the yard.

• A Year Full of Veg: A Harvest for All Seasonsby Sarah Raven ($15.13)

• The Cut Flower Sourcebook: Exceptional Perennials and Woody Plants for Cuttingby Rachel Siegfried ($42.90)

• Resilient Garden: Sustainable Gardening for a Changing Climateby Tom Massey ($29.99)

• Garden: Exploring the Horticultural Worldby Phaidon ($64.95)

• Why Women Grow: Stories of Soil, Sisterhood and Survivalby Alice Vincent ($24.23)

A pair of Felco pruners

Felco pruners are the Manolos of gardening. Expensive (for a pair of shears) and beautiful, they come in many models. Most gardeners know the number of their favorite model, likely after having tried it out at their local garden center. If you know your recipient's model, this is a gorgeous gift idea. If not, consider a gift certificate so they can get the one they want-or choose one of these models, which are always welcome.

• For left-handed pruners: Felco 9, Felco 10, Felco 16, Felco 17 ($60-84)

• For small hands: Felco 14 ($51.66), Felco 15 ($84.33)

• For wrist issues: Felco 7 ($80.20)

What I don't recommend

In addition to all of the lovely gift ideas above, I think it's important to flag a few potentially problematic gift ideas you might be considering. The following ideas are worth a skip.

• Garden decor: You wouldn't buy an interior decorator a roll of wallpaper, and gardeners similarly have very specific ideas about how their yard should look. Unless you know your recipient really well, skip the gnomes and funny garden ephemera. If, however, you know your recipient loves garden spheres or chimes, your addition to their collection will likely be well-received.

• Seeds: Wildflower seed mixes or packets of seeds might make sense as a gift-giver, but unless your recipient is a very new gardener or one who has specifically noted they want seeds, this is not a great idea. If you save your own seeds from a plant you've grown or one you see out in the world and want to share, those, however, that would be a touching gift.