Need the perfect present for a budding plant parent or avid gardener on your holiday gift list? The National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture can help. Please feel free to share these ideas or entire article with your customers, readership, or the gardening public.
Give a plant. Seasonal plants like amaryllis, paperwhites, Christmas cacti and poinsettias are always appropriate, make beautiful living décor, and are easy hostess gifts. House plants are a trendy gift for all ages. Cut flowers are a thoughtful gift that can be enjoyed by those not ready to commit to plant care. Terrariums, orchids, succulent “wall art,” and indoor aquatic gardens make unique plants gifts.
Decorative pots for outdoor or indoor use are a playful and practical gift idea and come in a wide range of styles and price points. A hand-decorated planter makes a fun craft project for kids and a cute gift for grandparents. Pots should be functional as well so check for a drainage hole before purchasing. Don’t forget decorative pot huggers.
Bring the bling to the outdoors with yard ornaments. They can add humor, whimsy, or drama to indoor and outdoor gardens.
Invite nature “home for the holidays.” Bird houses, bee hotels, butterfly homes, bird baths and feeders of all sorts attract wildlife to outdoor spaces and enhance the environment.
Stuff the stockings! Seed packets make great stuffers. Gloves and pruning shears will also fit nicely. Anyone who works with soil will appreciate a stiff soap for cleanup, followed by a soothing salve or hand cream. Gardeners love practical gifts, too, like plant stakes, tags, and ties.
Give an experience by purchasing a visit or a membership to a public garden. Many gardens have seasonal displays, special events, and other amenities that make the perfect gift.
Lend a Hand. Engage a landscape company to help someone special with yard care. Your loved one can enjoy the yard, rather than fuss about the ‘to-do’” list.
Consumer horticulture is a driver of our agricultural economy and with good reason. Over this past year we have highlighted the many environmental, health, and well-being benefits of plants and their use where we live, work, and heal. Give gifts that make our world a better place. Happy Holidays!