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28 Thoughtful Gardening Gifts for the Green Thumb in Your Life

Shopping for gifts for gardeners can be a challenge. After all, one can only have so many potted plants.

If you’re seeking some inspiration for gifts that stand out, this guide highlights the best gifts for gardeners that are sure to delight anyone with a green thumb. There’s even a few DIY projects for those looking to have a homemade Christmas.

1. Homestead Iron Tools

Photo credit: Homestead Iron Tools – Hawk’s Bill Weeder

Invest in quality with a hand-forged garden tool that will last decades longer than you. Each USA-made tool is constructed from high-carbon steel with the same blacksmithing techniques that were common practice for hundreds of years. They make the perfect gift for gardeners who value expert craftsmanship, and you’ll be supporting a small, family business with your purchase.

2. AeroGarden Harvest

Give the gift of year-round greens with an AeroGarden countertop hydroponic system. The system is optimized for growing up to six plants at a time without soil. It’s a mess-free form of gardening that gives you access to fresh herbs whenever the culinary urge strikes.

3. Mason Jar Terrarium Kit

This terrarium in a mason jar kit makes it possible to create your own plant centerpiece for a cute succulent. It includes everything necessary for starting, including pink reindeer moss and sphagnum moss—you just need to provide the succulent.

4. Copper Watering Can

Gardening equipment can be gorgeous as well as functional. This copper-hued watering can looks as lovely on a display shelf as it does out on the patio, and it’s constructed with quality stainless steel and chip-free vintage gold/copper paint. It’s the perfect size for watering indoor plants.

5. Cow Manure Natural Brew “Tea” Bags

Gift a new kind of tea this year with Authentic Haven’s Cow Manure Brew Pack. Each “tea” bag can be used to condition soil for better plant growth. Simply place the teabag in several gallons of water, cover, and let it steep for one to three days. You can then use it to water your plants, so you encourage stronger root systems and more robust growth all season long.

6. Kale Razor and Herb Stripper

Take the tedium out of stemming kale and stripping herbs with this tool that does double duty. It’s made in the USA from stainless steel and includes sharp blades and six hole sizes to make quicker work of your kitchen prep.

7. Fairy Gardening Kit

Add some whimsy to your friend’s garden this year with a fairy garden accessories kit. It includes a miniature house and figurines that can be staged in infinite ways. Glow in the dark pebbles and solar lights add to the charm. It’s the perfect patio accessory for kids and the young at heart.  

8. Easy DIY Worm Tower

Five gallon buckets with a drill and worms in front of them to make a worm tower.

If you’re a DIYer, this project is inexpensive and only takes about fifteen minutes to make. Get your favorite gardener started with vermicomposting this holiday season. Making your own compost and worm castings could never be easier.

9. Propagation Stand

For the houseplant lover who is always propagating new cuttings. Gift them with a beautiful propagation stand to show off all those lush, new plants as they grow. The minimalist design of the glass and wood fit nicely into any decor and add a touch of nature to any space.

10. Wildflower Seed Bombs

Homemade wildflower seed bombs against a blue background.

For the rebel gardener in your life, whip up a batch of wildflower seed bombs and support them in their green revolution. This project takes about half an hour and is easy enough for a child to help. All you need is clay, potting mix and seeds. Choose a native variety or a pollinator-friendly plant, and you’ll surely have a happy gardener on your hands.

11. Glow in the Dark Pebbles

Add interest to the nighttime garden with these glow-in-the-dark rocks. They can illuminate paths or highlight special landscape features surrounding your patio. Each pebble is crafted from a non-toxic resin, meaning they are safe for surrounding plant and animal life.

12. Bonsai Starter Kit

Gift a miniature tree with this bonsai kit designed to teach beginners the beauty of this traditional craft. Each kit includes everything necessary to start four small trees—all that’s needed is some patience. And if your seeds don’t sprout, you can use the company’s 100% satisfaction guarantee to claim a refund.

13. Shiitake Mushroom Log Kit

Gift someone the joy of homegrown mushrooms with a shiitake mushroom log. Each hand-cut log arrives inoculated with spores, meaning you can expect a fresh crop of mushrooms every two to three months. Simply soak the log for 24 hours once you receive it, and you should get your first mushroom crop within weeks. Not a fan of shiitakes? Choose an oyster log instead.

14. Wild Tomato Vine Candle

Let your favorite gardener enjoy the distinctive scent of tomatoes even during the offseason with a soy tomato that smells like them. Best of all, the candle’s packaging is biodegradable and contains tomato seeds so that you can enjoy the real thing as well.

15. Garden Tower

Collage of Garden Tower photos including one with worms in the center column.

Give the gift of a horizontal garden. These wonderful garden towers allow you to grow a ton of vegetables, herbs and flowers in a small footprint by growing vertically. Add in the fact that the center of the tower contains a vermicomposting bin and this the perfect gardening gift for the urban organic gardener who doesn’t have a lot of space. 

16. Birth Month Flower Grow Kit

Show your thoughtfulness to a gardening friend with a birth month flower grow kit. It includes a glass bottle, a soil-less growing medium, and plenty of seeds for getting started. Each month has a specific flower assigned to it, but you can also defy tradition and buy your favorite instead.

Looking for a different way to celebrate with flowers? Consider a birth month flower necklace instead.

17. Beautiful (& Easy) DIY Herb & Flower Drying Rack

Herb drying screen against a log cabin

Herbal enthusiasts will love this low-tech hanging drying rack. It’s made with a tea towel. Choose a special tea towel that the giftee will love to make it extra personal. Perfect for a rustic Christmas.

18.  Sweet Heart Planter

This heart-shaped planter offers a shallow growing space perfect for growing succulents and other low maintenance plants. It’s handmade in the United States from cast stone cement and includes a drainage hole. An easy way to add style to any outdoor space.

19. Bird-Shaped Plant Watering Globes

One major threat to indoor plants is forgetting to water them. Put your favorite plant enthusiast’s mind at ease with a hand-blown glass globe. The whimsical bird design lets water into your pots when needed for a stress-free plant maintenance that’s especially beneficial if you need to leave home for a few days.

20. Herb Scissors

Make cooking with herbs a snap with these five-bladed kitchen shears. You can use them to chop up basil, parsley, and other delicate herbs without pulling out the cutting board, and the included comb makes cleaning as simple as a single swipe.

21. Gardana Clog

Made from 100% recyclable plastic hemp, these French-made waterproof clogs are the perfect gardening shoe and guaranteed to make a statement. They’ll hold up through months of mucking around in the dirt, and their unique speckled color tones come from the natural sugars within the hemp plant.

22. Hummingbird Feeder

Attract more hummingbirds to your backyard at once with this fun feeder. Get up close and personal with these tiny, winged jewels. Easy to fill and hang, it’s the perfect gift for avid bird watchers.

23. Paper Pot Maker

Looking for a use for excess newspaper? Transform it into seed starting pots! This solid oak paper pot maker lets you create biodegradable pots in seconds, saving you money on standard seed-starting equipment AND keeping more plastic out of production.

24. Flower Pot Bread-Making Kit

Take a love of garden products into the kitchen with this breadmaking kit that relies on flowerpots. You’ll receive four pots and all the ingredients necessary for four loaves of bread, including instructions for homemade lavender butter.

25. Cocktail Grow Kit

Treat the classy cocktail lover in your life with this unique herb growing kit. It includes six seed packets (thyme, lavender, Thai basil, mint, lemon balm, and blue borage) packaged in a recycled egg carton. You can plant them directly in the carton with the included soil and transplant the seedlings once they start to size up. It’s guaranteed to make your home happy hours more interesting.

26. Butterfly House

Insect lovers will enjoy this gift of a butterfly house that gives them safe places to rest. The design’s narrow slits let butterflies in while keeping potential predators far away. It’s the perfect way to dress up a garden space. You can make the space feel extra homey for this favorite pollinator by planting a butterfly garden seed mix.

27. Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Hand Therapy

Chapped hands go with gardening, so help soothe them for someone special with this ultra-moisturizing hand cream. It’s made from macadamia seed oil and shea butter as well as a blend of herbal extracts that work to replenish lost moisture and repair cracks or cuticle damage. Even the scent should remind you of a pleasant spring rain.  

28. Mindful Gardener Book

Gardening season can get you caught in the whirlwind, so gift this journal that brings perspective. It offers pages of inspirational quotes, tutorials, and writing exercises designed to help you live in the moment and tackle any challenges that come up. 

Gift-giving doesn’t need to stress you out this year. Consider one of these top gifts for gardeners, and your guaranteed to get the inspiration you need to make your favorite plant lover’s day.  


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Lydia Noyes

Lydia Noyes is a content writer and hobby farmer in southwest Michigan. Together with her husband, she manages a diverse 34-acre property with a large garden, fruit trees, hayfields, native plant nurseries, and a myriad of animals including American guinea hogs, Nigerian dwarf goats, and too many chickens to count. Connect on Instagram at @first_roots_farm.
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