Just because most of our gardens are asleep in winter doesn’t mean we don’t love a good garden-centric gift in our Christmas stockings, right? In fact, these are the types of pint-sized presents that get us excited for longer days, warmer nights, and dirt under our nails again.
I also think they make a sweet thank-you gift when you just want to send a small token of appreciation, long after the holidays have passed—perhaps for the neighbor who always shares her extra lemons and lets you take cuttings from her garden, or the friend who always drops off homemade bread and canned tomatoes at your door because he’s awesome.
These thoughtful items are all curated by a fellow green thumb (that’s me!) and not a list of editorial ads, sponsored stuff, or things I got for free. I actually own and love (and even gifted) many of these items, so trust that I won’t steer you wrong.
And if you’re looking for just the right gift to put under a tree (or for any occasion), be sure to check out my updated gift guides for 35 Genius Gifts for Gardeners They’ll Really Dig, 23 Awesome Adventure Gifts for the Outdoor Lover, and 22 Unique Non-Cheesy Gifts for National Park Lovers.
Disclosure: If you shop from my article or make a purchase through one of my links, I may receive commissions on some of the products I recommend.
Instant Plant Food
I started using these houseplant fertilizer tablets for my indoor plants because I like the mess-free tablets (no drippy bottles to store). All you do is drop a tablet in water, watch it fizz and dissolve, then feed your plants! This petite package is perfect for a stocking, but if you have a bigger stocking to fill, I also recommend the regular package.
Crazy Keiki Cloning Paste
This plant cloning paste is a really neat product that works on many types of houseplants. It’s a rooting hormone that stimulates new buds along the stem nodes, so it can help bare or leggy stems grow new leaves. I’ve been using it on my Philodendron and Tradescantia plants. You have to try it to believe it!
Plant Cleaning Wipes
These soft, moist cleaning wipes make a mundane chore (keeping plant leaves clean so they photosynthesize more efficiently) more manageable. They’re also infused with neem oil to up the shine factor and help remove small pests.
Fiskars Designer Shears and Pruners Set
I’m a sucker for beautiful, colorful gardening tools that make simple tasks more fun… but not at the expense of quality. Which is why I love that Fiskars came out with this two-piece set that includes their awesome vegetable shears and a pair of pruners. I already own and use the shears—but in boring black—so I hope Santa stuffs these in my stocking this year!
Modern Sprout Pruners
Don’t be fooled by its compact size. These small, lightweight pruning shears have a sharp blade that can cut, trim, and tidy up everything from flower stems to small limbs. Small but mighty, it’s easy to tuck into a shirt pocket too—and the price is reasonable enough to pick up a few pairs for friends.
Wildflower Seed Shaker
When it comes to gifts for gardeners, you can’t go wrong with seeds. The more the merrier! And this bee-friendly wildflower seed shaker definitely delivers on its name: It’s filled with an exclusive blend of 19 annual and perennial wildflower seeds known to support bees and other pollinators. If you need other varieties, there’s also a wildflower seed shaker mix for hummingbirds and butterflies.
Wildflower Seed Ball
This is a fun stocking stuffer for kids: seed ball “poop” that they can plant outside! Each seed ball is hand-rolled from clay and contains worm castings and wildflower seeds for China asters, lance-leaved coreopsis, purple coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, and bergamot.
Staedtler Permanent Garden Marker
Okay, I have tried absolutely every so-called “permanent” marker on the market, from Sharpie Industrial to garden-specific pens that are meant to weather outdoor extremes, but all of them have faded or failed by the end of the season. THIS is the only permanent marker that has withstood the harsh Central Oregon climate (through snow, rain, hail, and intense high-desert sun) for the last few years! Seriously, EVERY gardener needs one (or two) of these!
Ball Leakproof Mason Jar Lids
If you use your mason jars for other things besides canning (or if you’ve opened your jar of deliciousness and need to store it in the fridge), you’ll need these simple, one-piece plastic lids. They’re leakproof, dishwasher-safe, and a perfect fit for all standard- and wide-mouth Ball and Kerr jars. Best of all, no rusting like you’d get with metal lids and rings.
Airtight Wooden Mason Jar Lids
Are you looking to organize and beautify your pantry? This classy set of acacia lids simply pop on to keep grains, seeds, tea leaves, and other staples fresh. They also match perfectly with my favorite glass pantry jars so I can use all my extra mason jars for storage while keeping the look cohesive in my pantry.
Terra Cotta Sugar Savers
I only recently discovered that these things exist and instantly bought them for myself! If you struggle with using up all your brown sugar before it turns hard, these terra cotta sugar savers can help with that. I’m also planning to use mine to keep my fresh-baked bread softer for longer.
Bee’s Wrap Plant-Based Food Wrap
Maybe you’ve seen those beeswax wraps around—well, these are the vegan alternative. Made from organic cotton, organic coconut oil, tree resin, and plant-based wax (instead of beeswax), these reusable and washable food wraps can replace some or all of the plastic cling wrap you use in the kitchen. I love the stylish botanical print too.
Produce Keepers
These clever “produce keepers” are essentially plastic rings that keep sprigs or bunches of herbs suspended in water in a standard mason jar. It’s a really simple concept that’s actually pretty useful! There’s also a botanical version that helps you arrange flower stems in a jar or holds clippings of your favorite houseplants for propagation.
Silicone Food Huggers
I bought these reusable silicone food savers a couple years ago and use them often. I tend to store half-cut pieces of fruits or vegetables in a container or wrapped in plastic, or get lazy and just throw them in the crisper drawer. These genius sleeves work by “hugging” the cut end of your produce so you can easily store them in the fridge while keeping them fresh. They also make Food Huggers for avocados and cheese and butter too.
Bamboo Vegetable Brush
Every vegetable gardener needs a basic fruit and vegetable brush, and this all-purpose bamboo brush cleans everything from apples to zucchini. It seems like a really simple gift, but sometimes simple is best. (And personally, I’ve gone through so many brushes and can always use more.)
OXO Good Grips Silicone Steamer Basket
You’ve probably seen those metal shutter-style steamer baskets… well, this one is so much better! I bought this silicone steamer basket last year because I liked how it could fit a variety of pots of all sizes and it won’t scratch the interior. It’s easy to load and unload food, comes in one piece (nothing to break), and even rolls up into a tube for storage!
Epicurean Cool Tool
I bought this on a whim last year as I needed a new utensil for multitasking. This simple flat-sided cooking utensil has been surprisingly useful for stirring, scraping, flipping, and spreading, all without melting or scratching anything. It’s a really lightweight and compact tool, and I find myself reaching for this over my usual assortment of wooden spoons and spatulas. In my opinion, it’s a must for an avid cook.
Masontops Pickle Pipes
I’ve been using these waterless fermentation airlocks for more than a decade to make sauerkraut and pickles. They go on standard or wide-mouth mason jars (secured with a canning ring) and let gases escape automatically while your vegetables are fermenting. They’re a must for any home fermenting and I love how low-tech yet highly effective they are.
Fiskars Soil Scoop and Brush Set
This very affordable soil scoop and brush set from Fiskars is a must for indoor gardeners! I’ve used it so many times in the last few years that I’ve owned this set for potting and repotting my houseplants. The brush snaps into the scoop for easy storage, and the scoop doubles as both a soil and fertilizer scooper as well as a mini dustpan for the brush. It’s so well-designed and functional.
We the Wild Pest Traps
This is your typical yellow sticky trap for houseplant pests, only it sticks to the inside rim of your pots (instead of sticking up out of your soil). A great solution if you want a less obvious trap that’s still effective on fungus gnats and other pesky bugs. The storage tin is a cute bonus too.
Beessential Exfoliating Hand Soap
This all-natural exfoliating bar soap is billed as a “coffee grind grime remover” that helps get sticky sap and garden grime off your hands, while still being very moisturizing with shea butter, coconut and olive oils. This is the kind of soap to keep next to the garage sink for post-work cleanup!
Amallow Tallow Sun Balm
This company makes my favorite tallow balm (which you can find on my gift guide for gardeners), but now they’ve come out with this tallow-based sun balm that has me intrigued! It’s a natural sunscreen made with non-nano zinc oxide and organic oils to give you less toxic sun protection.
Amallow Tallow Lip Balm
Oh whaaaat, my favorite tallow brand (and orange creamsicle scent) now comes in a squeezable lip balm tube?! It’s just the right texture for lips to keep them soft and supple all winter. I’m getting another one for myself before I run out!
Welly Flexible Bandages
Cuts, splinters, and abrasions are all a normal part of gardening, but these flexible fabric bandages make them actually look… cool?! I like the colorful patterns that don’t scream cartoon characters every time you think of patterned bandages, and you can repurpose the storage tin for other things in the bathroom or garden once it’s empty.
