Top Ten Fall Garden Gifts

Ready or not, fall is here!

There are plenty of wonderful choices for fall garden gifts no matter what the occasion or your budget. As usual, I promise unique and functional gift ideas for the gardeners on your list. After much searching and deliberation, here are my picks for the Top Ten Fall Garden Gifts.

1. If you’re thinking about a live plant, consider a rose. This time of the year, you’re better off selecting a container grown plant instead of bare root because they already have a head start. (Check out my Five Tips For Planting Roses In The Fall article.) And the best resource for roses is Jackson & Perkins – celebrating their 136th anniversary along with their full guarantee on all plants. In addition to roses, Jackson & Perkins has a big selection of fall gifts ready to ship now, including mums, topiaries, miniature roses, kitchen planters and even a lemon tree! (Many gift options are less than $75 with roses as low as $9.95!)

2. Now here’s a unique gift idea!  If fresh tomato sauce and canned tomatoes sounds good for those winter soups and stews, take a look at this gourmet Tomato Press. It makes easy work of straining tomato skins and seeds and quickly processes loads of tomatoes in its 10” hopper. And as the fall apple harvest approaches, don’t forget about delicious homemade apple sauce, too. Just think about the possibilities with this Tomato Press - after all, a great gardening gift doesn’t have to be kept in the garden! (The Tomato Press currently less than $60)

3. If it’s fall, it’s tulip planting time! A Fall Bulb Gift Basket is a wonderful idea for new homeowners or beginning gardeners. Be sure to include the appropriate tools for planting bulbs and lots of bulbs for planting!  (For suggestions about the right tools, look at my Tulip Planting Just Got Easier article.)  I started ordering fall bulbs from Breck’s years ago and have always been pleased with the quality and the service. They select only top quality bulbs direct from Holland. Visit Breck’s and see all the choices you have with beautiful colors, sizes, and shapes of tulips, hyacinths, crocus, snowdrops, and more. I know you’ll appreciate the sale prices as well as the $25 savings on orders of $50 or more! (To make your gift collection even more special, be creative as you choose the container. Of course, you can use a traditional basket for all your goodies, but also think about the unexpected.  How about a watering can, a bucket, or even a garden planter?)

4. Most gardeners understand the importance of birds in the garden. And since, it’s so much fun feeding and watching the birds during the winter, a new bird feeder is sure to be high on the list for fall garden gifts. There are so many choices of feeders and Duncraft has them all. Duncraft, a family business located in New Hampshire, field tests and uses all the products they sell – squirrel proof feeders, tube feeders, suet feeders, mesh feeders, bird feed, and more. But here’s my suggestion about choosing the perfect gift. If the person on your gift list has a lot of trees nearby, they’re sure to have squirrels! So my recommendation would be a squirrel proof feeder (starting at $29.95). I enjoy watching the squirrels in the winter and I frequently feed them, but I don’t want them eating the bird food! OK, there’s no such thing as 100% squirrel proof, so I’ll settle for 99%!

5. It’s been said that a gardener’s best tools are his/her hands and by this time of the year most gardeners’ hands have been working hard and are in need of some hand TLC. Crabtree & Evelyn offer a line of hand care products made especially for gardeners (you may want to read my How To Care For Your Hands As Well As Your Garden article). What a wonderful treat for those who love digging their fingers in the dirt! (Crabtree & Evelyn gift sets start at $22.50)

6. Of course, gardening books always make my Top Ten lists because they’re great gardening gifts and they’re very budget friendly. Here are a few suggestions that are appropriate for fall garden gifts:

• The Pruning Book is a step-by-step guide through pruning houseplants, ornamental bushes, vines, evergreens, and more. Also includes specialized pruning techniques including espalier, topiary, and bonsai. Clear instructions, photos, and diagrams make it useful for beginning or experienced gardeners.

 

• American Horticultural Society of Pruning & Training is organized by ornamental trees, fruiting trees, ornamental shrubs, soft fruits, climbing plants, and roses, each section covers specialized techniques and a plant dictionary. Includes photographic sequences with before and after shots. Probably not a good choice for the casual pruner.

 

• Seed to Seed is a newly updated, complete guide with specific techniques for saving 160 different vegetable seeds. Great for home gardeners, it contains detailed information including how to properly harvest, dry, clean, and store the seeds. Seed to Seed also includes info about how to start each vegetable from seed.

 

• Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits and Vegetables contains complete information about how to build and use root cellars. Surprisingly, it contains lots of ideas about “un-root” cellars that can be constructed and used for vegetable storage – even for apartment dwellers!

 

• Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning includes French techniques for storing and preserving food to maximize flavor and nutrition. It does not include freezing or high-temperature canning. Instead it explains alternative methods that are supposed to be less costly and more energy-efficient. More than 250 recipes guide those who are looking for healthy food.

 

7. Nothing says cozy on a cool autumn evening better than a fire pit or chiminea– and what a great way to extend the outdoor entertaining season. Firepits and chimineas are available in all sizes, designs and styles, made of cast iron, stainless steel, copper, tile & stone, and steel. A unique garden gift for those who enjoy being outdoors.

8. The American flag is a great gift for anyone who would like to demonstrate their patriotism in their garden decor.  Carrot-Top , providing flags for almost 30 years, has a huge selection of sizes and styles – along with flagpoles, lighting, and other accessories.  In addition to American flags, they have many, many other flags including military, state, religious, historical, sports(NCAA, NFL, and Nascar), and more.  Check out my American Flag Display OK In Your Lawn Or Garden article for more info. 

9. Those beautiful leaves that shaded us all summer are already starting to fall around here. But this Deluxe Electric Leaf Shredder turns 11 bags of leaves into one bag of wonderfully nutritious mulch. This is definitely the king of leaf shredders! Priced at $199 (easy payments, 0% interest available), this Deluxe Leaf Shredder has five adjustable settings from coarse to super-fine, a quiet yet powerful motor, a unique stand that fits on top of a trash barrel, AND it handles wet leaves, too! Anyone with big trees in their yard will LOVE this gift for years to come!

10. And what gardener has not dreamed of having their own home garden greenhouse! Is there anything better than planting and growing all year long? For help choosing the right greenhouse gift, read my Greenhouses Solve The Blues article. GreenhouseSelect.com offers more than 100 different greenhouses from the most popular manufacturers. You may choose a less expensive, portable greenhouse gift that provides a head start for planting seeds at the beginning of the season as well as extending the season with additional protection at the end. Or you may select a free-standing or lean-to greenhouse providing additional, year round gardening space. Whatever your budget or vision, GreenhouseSelect.com has the perfect gift to quickly make that dream come true.

Here in the Midwest we’ve had a magnificent summer. Yet I am looking forward to crisp, cooler temperatures and seeing the rainbow of colorful leaves against a bright blue sky.  Hope you find the perfect gift from my Top Ten Fall Garden Gifts for all the gardeners on your list … or maybe your own garden!