Gift Ideas for Gardeners

Finding the perfect gift for everyone on your Christmas shopping list can be a daunting task. However, selecting gifts for those recipients who have an interest in gardening should be relatively easy. Many gardening items make terrific Christmas gifts.

Garden calendars are excellent gifts for gardeners. The 2007 Garden Calendar from Iowa State University contains attractive photographs and monthly how-to tips in a 9 x12-inch format. The calendar also includes a list of Iowa State University horticulture publications, the phone numbers of local county extension offices, and contact information for other horticulture resources from Iowa State University. The Iowa State University Garden Calendar is available for $8.00 at local county extension offices and for $8.00 plus postage from the Iowa State University Extension Distribution Center at https://store.extension.iastate.edu/. Other garden calendars can be purchased at local bookstores and other retail businesses.

All gardeners can use an additional book to add to their library. Excellent reference books include "Growing Perennials in Cold Climates" by Mike Heger and John Whitman; "Growing Shrubs and Small Trees in Cold Climates" by Nancy Rose, Don Selinger, and John Whitman; "Manual of Woody Landscape Plants" by Michael Dirr; "Herbaceous Perennial Plants" by Allan Armitage, and many others.

Plants are always great gifts for gardeners. Possibilities include the poinsettia, Christmas cactus, Norfolk Island pine, cyclamen, and other seasonal plants. An amaryllis bulb is another popular gift. A gift certificate from a local garden center and nursery would also be greatly appreciated. The recipient can use the gift certificate to purchase a tree, shrub, or other plants next spring.

An individual or family membership to the Des Moines Botanic Center, Reiman Gardens at Iowa State University, Iowa Arboretum, or other public garden is sure to delight your gardening relatives and friends. An annual membership gives them free, unlimited visits for one year and other benefits.

Other possibilities include tools, clothing, and garden accessories (bird feeder, fountain, garden statuary, weather instruments, etc.). You might even consider a garden gnome. The possibilities are almost endless.

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Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Horticulture and Home Pest News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on December 6, 2006. The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.