13 Gift Ideas for Nature Lovers from Pretty to Practical

I meant to write this blog post in November before the holiday season, but I was so busy wrapping up end-of-year horticultural oil and anti-desiccant applications that it completely slipped my mind.

When a customer recently asked for a recommendation on a good pair of gardening gloves, I was reminded of this list I had drafted in the Notes app on my phone. With spring upon us (the most glorious of all seasons!) there are several gift-giving occasions on the horizon: Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays and graduations. Whether for a friend or loved one, a big milestone or small celebration, or a reason to simply say “I’m thinking of you,” there is something for everyone in the links below!

For the Garden:

1. Extra Long Thorn Proof Gardening/Pruning Gloves - I have used the same pair for 3 years now and they are still in great shape!

2. Felco F-2 Hand Pruners & Stihl Loppers - Support local, small business and purchase at Main Line Mower in Berwyn, PA!

3. Haws Watering Can - Beauty meets function in these classic watering cans. Be prepared to help your potted plants beat the drought this summer.

4. Tom Beckbe Hat - Incredibly durable yet lightweight enough to keep you cool.

5. Hori Hori Garden Knife - Alex’s mom, Carolyn, of Carolyn’s Shade Gardens recently brought one back from England. After showing me how deftly it digs up Snowdrop bulbs, I had to order one for myself. It’s the perfect tool for digging out pesky dandelion taproots or planting bulbs in our heavy clay soils. You’ll constantly find yourself reaching for your Hori Hori! This company is a family-owned, verteran-owned business. PLUS, they plant one tree for every product sold. It doesn’t get any better than that!

6. American Meadows Wild Flower Seed Mix - I have used this mix several times in one of our long, narrow garden beds with great success. The seeds come in a charming cloth bag stamped with American Meadows name. Easy gifting that does not require any additional wrapping!

7. AirBee&Bee (a home for solitary bees) and LickBrick - Designed by a friend and Cornell graduate student, the AirBee&Bee and LickBrick are truly one-of-a-kind gifts that support our local pollinator population!

8. Bunny Tail Pot Stands - A charming solution for real-life drainage problems! Lift your pots in style with these adorable bunny tail pot stands.

For the Home:

9. Books - Beatrix Potter’s Garden Life by Marta McDowell and Emily Dickinson’s Garden Life by Marta McDowell (two of my favorite books that I have read cover-to-cover several times!), Wild Philly by Mike Weilbacher (this book comes with several ‘field trip' spots to visit in our area…see #13 below!), Chanticleer: A Pleasure Garden by Adrian Higgins (also available for purchase directly at Chanticleer garden in Wayne, PA. Alex and I just visited and the garden is nothing short of spectacular right now!)

10. Frances Palmer Vase - Frances Palmer is one of my favorite potters. I was thrilled to learn she will be a speaker at the inaugural garden symposium at Andalusia this spring (see ticket link below!). Although I’ve already linked several books above, I also adore her book Life in the Studio.

11. Fruit Tree from FastGrowingTrees.com - OK, it’s time to admit it. I have a citrus tree addiction! We are running out of space in our south-facing windows. 🙈 I have: Meyer Lemon Tree, Pink Variegated Eureka Lemon Tree, Cara Cara Orange Tree, Ruby Red Grapefruit Tree and a Persian ‘Bearss’ Lime Tree. I think a citrus tree, gifted with a cocktail shaker, is such a cute gift idea! Choose the perfect citrus tree depending on the receiver’s cocktail of choice. Margarita lover? Lime tree. Prefer Old Fashioneds like Alex? Orange Tree. Greyhound? Grapefruit Tree. I inherited a love of Amaretto Sours from my grandmother, hence our two lemon trees. I bring the trees indoors for the winter months of November-March and move them outside for the rest of the year. Not a drinker? Home grown citrus is also great for baking. Alex is a big fan of Lemon Poppyseed and the Meyer Lemons make a deliciously moist cake.

12. Spring Pewter Art - Bring the cheer of spring indoors with beautiful, hand-crafted Pewter Art. Some designs are available locally at The Little House Shop in Wayne, PA. A larger selection is available online at The Christmas Sleigh a delightful, small store in Middleburg, VA.

Things To Do:

13. Tickets to the Morris Arboretum Moonlight & Roses event, the Andalusia Garden Symposium, Natural Lands Balance and Be Yoga Class, Awbury Al Fresco event at Awbury Arboretum or any other trip to a local garden, arboretum or nature conservancy. On any given weekend, you can find us at a Natural Lands site. Binky Lee in Chester Springs is our all-time favorite!

Sometimes the best gift of all is time well-spent with your friends and family. When Alex and I first started dating 10 years ago, we often picked up Primo Hoagies (Pat, the owner of the Ardmore location, makes the best around!) and picnicked at Chanticleer (free admission to the trade made it an economical date)!