Holiday gift ideas for the native plant gardener

By Dawn Weber
Board Member-at-Large, Wild Ones – St. Louis Chapter

Container gardening in the yard of Ann Case during the 2016 St. Louis Native Plant Garden Tour. Photo by Marcia Myers

The holidays are here and you may be looking for a gift for that gardener in your life, or maybe someone is looking for a gift idea for you!

Some ideas include:

• Gift certificates for buying plants next year
• A Wild Ones membership for someone who’s shown interest in native plants, pollinators, birds or butterflies
• A Bring Conservation Home consultation

But also we’d like to generate some ideas from all of you – help us build a list of your favorite items. In the comments below, please include a link to the item where it is available for purchase if possible.

What is your favorite…

• Garden tool?
• Yard ornament?
• Water bottle to stay hydrated?
• Book about native plants, native plant gardening, or wildlife?
• Item you didn’t know you needed but now cannot do without when you’re outside building or restoring habitat?

I’ll start with my two favorites:

1. Hori hori knife – I use this tool for nearly everything – digging small holes, getting root-bound plants ready for planting, prying out weeds, dividing.
2. Creating unique items from your garden photos at Shutterfly – I recently put together a book of favorite images from my yard. Watch for sales to get the best value.