DIY ~ Gifts For the Gardener

• By Barb
• Posted in Bringing the garden inside, DIY home and garden craft projects, Things that inspire me in the garden
• On November 15, 2013
• 10 Comments.

Some folks think it difficult to find beautiful, yet affordable, gifts for the gardener, so let me tell you how I go about it. First of all, throughout the year, I am on the lookout for inexpensive baskets and decorative containers. All of the baskets and containers in this article were purchased at yard sales for a song: a dollar or less each! Just as I keep my eyes peeled for baskets in great condition, small garden-related items on sale are always on my radar. Keep a box or two in a closet to stash your finds away until needed.

Thinking in themes is helpful when planning a gardening gift basket. Is this gift for a bird-lover? A seed starter? A plant fancier? Keep your friend or family member in mind as you construct their one-of-a-kind gift. Related items in coordinating colors will give your homemade gift that custom-made look.

Many useful tools and accents may be found on sale at home and garden centers or at a dollar store. Seeds marked down by 75% at the end of the season are still quite viable and may be purchased for as little as 25 cents a pack. Potting soil, peat pots and trays are a low-cost way to help fill the gift basket with useful components, not just filler! Did you ever get one of those gorgeous commercially-made gift baskets and open it only to find lots of cardboard, paper and few gifts?

Line the baskets and containers with dried moss, tissue or butcher paper to provide a backdrop, then have a ball combining just the right collection to fit the gift recipient’s personality. They will appreciate such a personal gift in this ready-made world. Here are examples that I put together for the gardeners on my gift list. I hope they give you inspiration to make your own!
 

 
In the picture below, Paperwhites planted in a small birdbath make a beautiful dual-purpose gift for the gardener. These lovely scented blooms will waft through the holiday home. Then the birdbath will serve as an accent in the garden the remainder of the year. White stone gravel, paperwhites, a small birdbath and a bright ribbon – it doesn’t get much easier or prettier than that!

Serious gardeners, who start their garden plants from seed, will love this basket full of necessary supplies. Peat pots and trays, potting soil, heirloom vegetable seeds, twine, gloves, a trowel, beeswax for tool upkeep, a hose sprinkler head and a cast iron garden accent round out this group of essentials. A natural woven basket ties in with the down-to-earth theme topped by a perky red-checked gingham bow.

A practical wire tote carries garden gloves, hand tools, pots, seeds, row markers and bird garden accents in this pretty gift set. Coordinate gift item colors with the tissue paper liner and ribbon to give it that custom look. Won’t this come in handy?

For that gardener who also loves enticing birds into their garden, here’s a bird-themed gift basket. A decorative bird tops a collection of suet in a wire feeder, a vintage Mason jar filled with birdseed and a lovely birdhouse. For fun, use raw peanuts as filler. They will become part of the bird buffet!

Hand and foot care is important for any gardener. This little planter is filled with lovely scented soap,  shea butter salve and a nail kit for scrubbing the garden off both hands and feet at the end of the day.  A tiny pinecone fairy adds a woodsy touch to this sweet gift tied up with a gingham bow.

Here’s the perfect gift for miniature garden lovers:  fairy garden supplies. Believe it or not, that cute little fairy house with the wonderful door is just a birdhouse turned around! The rustic door is the birdhouse clean-out. Moss, pinecone trees and a tray to hold the wee garden and fairies you made yourself will spark the imagination of anyone aspiring to create a tiny garden.

 

 

 

Please, don’t forget PLANTS! You might think that’s the last item to gift a garden nut. But the one thing a gardener can’t get enough of is plants – and houseplants are no exception. Pictured is a Christmas Cactus in a vintage jello mold and paperwhites in a birch bark-covered pot . A simple thermometer is another useful gardening gift for helping your gardening friend keep an eye on the weather, which may be a gardener’s friend or foe.

So, as you can see, gardeners are easy to find gifts for. A little of this and a little of that in a great basket designed by you will show how much you care!