Autumn can be a tricky time to find the perfect gift for a gardener. It's neither spring, with all the excitement and activity that brings, nor is it Christmas, when there is so much choice it can be overwhelming. In this short guide, I will share seasonal inspiration and introduce you to my top 10 autumn gifts for gardeners.
Asking what the recipient might like is always a good starting point, but sometimes it's nice to surprise them: some of the best gardening gifts I've been given are things I never knew I needed! If you're lost for ideas, it can be helpful to think about the most pressing tasks for gardeners at this time of year, such as pruning, weeding, leaf collecting or tool cleaning. Gifts relating to these repetitive jobs include secateurs, saws, hoes, brushes and sharpening stones. Don't worry if these seem like workaday gifts - everything I stock at Dan Cooper Garden must be beautiful and useful, and gardeners are practical people. Using the right tool for a job often makes work quicker and easier too. By choosing wisely, you could be saving the recipient time and aggravation.
Gardening gloves are guaranteed to be appreciated as the weather gets cooler and wetter. There's not a gardener alive who wouldn't appreciate a spare pair, and there are many different styles to choose from. For practicality, I like Donkey Gloves, which can be washed in a machine if they get grubby. Niwaki's unisex gloves are perfect for light duties and inexpensive, too. Gold Leaf Gloves make the Rolls Royce of gardening gloves - the butter-soft leather is an absolute treat. The only challenge is choosing the right size, so do a little research first if you can.
There are still flowers in the garden, but perhaps fewer of them. A flower frog placed in a small bowl of water allows just a handful of precious blooms to be displayed to perfection, and whilst the flowers may not last forever, the flower frog will. Seeds are a particularly thoughtful gift for beginner gardeners or those who dream of creating a flower-filled paradise. They are also easy to send in the post. All the seeds I offer come with detailed instructions about sowing and growing them.
If your giftee is more of an armchair gardener or someone who likes to hibernate as the nights draw in, consider a gift that reminds them of brighter days. Scent is hugely evocative—a gently perfumed soap or set of pencils will have the power to transport the recipient to a special place or season while lifting their mood. Reminders of nature might also be welcome; hence, I've chosen pretty trinket bowls from Bordallo Pinheiro, offering a haven for rings and other precious things.
Here are my top 10 autumn gifts for gardeners to help you on your way to the perfect present.
- Original LÖWE 1.100 Anvil Secateurs £44* - a winning combination of beauty and practicality with their sharp blade and nickel-plated handles. The best secateurs for chunky pruning work and an enduring piece of gardening heritage.
- Gardener's Nail Brush £10 - the short, natural bristles make light work of dirty digits.
- Signature Dutch Planting Trowel £29 - named 'Best Bulb Planting Trowel' by The English Garden Magazine, this hand-forged tool is equally useful for planting annuals, perennials, and vegetables.
- Vine Leaf Dish With Ladybird £26 - charming, beautifully made, and wickedly whimsical, this irresistible dish is perfect for serving nibbles, nuts, and condiments or keeping small jewellery items safe.
- Laura Stoddart Tulip Parade Tea Towel £12 - a soft cotton tea towel adorned with heritage tulips and printed in Suffolk.
- Niwaki Weeding Hoe £18 - THE tool of 2024. It's so loved and adored by keen gardeners that they often return for a second or a third. It's razor sharp and really rather good.
- Fig and Almond Milk Soap £7 - sometimes, only a big bar of soap will do - this one smells of ripe figs and lasts ages.
- Donkey Gloves (4 Sizes) £16. These are great multi-purpose outdoor gloves. They're protective, washable, and not too bulky, and the profits help provide a loving home for Devon's donkeys.
- Set of Four Mini Flower Frogs £14 - use them together or separately to support solitary blooms or delicate sprays of flowers all year round.
- Half a Dozen Rose Geranium Scented Pencils £15 - for gardeners who like to take notes or make sketches, these pencils smell like a warm greenhouse on a sunny autumn afternoon.
If you can't decide after all, don't forget that I have gift cards available, too!
*Please note that prices are correct at the time of posting (08.10.24) but may change in future.