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For those of you with a gardener on your gift list this holiday season, here are a few ideas I’ve cultivated — pardon the pun. The purpose of these gifts is to nurture the gardener. (Full disclosure: I plan to clip this article to place on my husband’s desk!)

Ergonomic tools

Tools make a gardener’s work easier. Look for tools that are constructed with strong but lightweight materials. Older adults will appreciate ergonomic tools, which are easier on joints due to their comfortable grips, longer or telescoping handles and soft padding.

Consider top-of-the-line bypass pruners such as Swiss FELCO^® pruning shears. Options include left-handed and smaller size choices. These are an investment, since replacement parts are available. Add a leather case and a sharpener from a home improvement store to complete the gift.

When weeding, gardeners with arthritis prefer a tool that works with a pulling motion, which is easier on the wrists and hands than those that require a push. The Original CobraHead^® Weeding Tool has a blade that can cut and dig through hard soil such as clay. You can grasp the handle in multiple positions. The mini hand tool version was awarded the 2018 Green Thumb Award.

If you dig deeper, you can find tools specifically suited to women. For example, the design of HERShovel™ by Green Heron Tools takes into consideration a woman’s use of abdominal muscles and leg strength for many garden chores. Available in three sizes, the shovel has a shorter shaft, and its blade has a large area for foot placement.

Supportive accessories

In addition to keeping your hands dry and clean, specialized gloves can provide support and improved grip strength. One brand, Bionic^® ReliefGrip Gardening Gloves, designed by an orthopedic hand specialist, reduces hand fatigue and friction. These are available in men’s and women’s styles, multiple sizes and even “rose-length” to protect forearms from thorns.

A garden kneeler is also a great choice. In addition to cushioning your knees, the handles allow you to use your arm strength to lower and raise yourself, reducing back strain. My favorite kneelers can be flipped over to use as a bench, too. I have a wooden one, though a metal one works as well.

Of course, some garden chores call for a wheelbarrow; however, I use my plastic, two-wheeled garden cart, which I “gifted” to myself from a warehouse store. It is just the right size to hold my tools and a bag of mulch or potting soil. It even fits upright in the back of my small SUV when I need to transport garden gear.

Pretty picture books

Easier to fit under the Christmas tree is Native Plants for Virginia’s Capital Region, a softcover book published in November 2018 by the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program. It is written specifically for the metro Richmond area and includes common names, botanic names, planting suggestions, and photos of native plants.

In the winter months especially, gardeners would enjoy a subscription to Birds & Blooms magazine, with its gorgeous nature photography.

Gift cards and more

Since we’ve passed prime planting season, a gift certificate from a garden center might be just the right size. Garden décor can be planted anytime; a bench, statuary, bird feeder, birdbath, or sundial would be a welcome addition to most gardens.

I know of at least one gardener who would like handmade coupons good for some of tasks that are physically demanding — raking leaves, digging, mulching, transplanting.

Experiences

If your gardener would prefer an experience rather than a wrapped present, an annual membership to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden or Maymont would make a lovely gift.

Other ideas include a planned day trip to the State Arboretum of Virginia (part of Blandy Experimental Farm), Monticello, or the United States National Arboretum in D.C.

A longer journey might be to the Philadelphia Flower Show (Feb. 29 to March 8, 2020) or Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.

For a splurge, enjoy the tulips at the Keukenhof in Holland (March 21 to May 10, 2020). Try to include tickets, transportation, overnight accommodations and meals as part of the gift. If you need professional assistance, there are tour operators who specialize in garden getaways in the U.S. and abroad.

Raised gardens

Who would think of a garden for the gardener? To reduce bending and kneeling, a raised garden bed kit would be a welcome gift, especially if your native soil is heavy or root-filled.

Kits come in a variety of sizes and materials including composite, cedar and metal. Putting the kit together and filling it with garden soil add the finishing touches to this present.

If you don’t have yard space, elevated gardens such as those by VegTrug™ can allow you to garden on your patio — no bending or kneeling at all. Again, a thoughtful gift-giver could assemble the planter.

And finally, for a gardener without garden space, rent it! Chesterfield County residents can rent a plot at Rockwood Park. Some neighborhoods, including Brandermill, also have areas that are designated as gardening spots.

Lela Martin is a Master Gardener with the Chesterfield County office of the Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Virginia Cooperative Extension does not endorse these products and does not intend discrimination against other products which also may be suitable.