As the holiday season quickly approaches, many of us begin pondering gift choices for our loved ones. Although you early worms probably started shopping in July, there are those of us who have yet to begin (and, let’s be honest, those of us who will wait til the last minute). Should you choose to get a jump on your holiday gifting preparations for the gardener in your life, you may consider some of the following options.
FWBG or Arboretum Memberships
If you have ever spent a day strolling through the Ft. Worth Botanic Gardens or Dallas Arboretum, you know how relaxing and inspiring it can be. Perhaps a gardener you love has never considered or purchased a membership and would enjoy the fun opportunities it can bring.
A Ft. Worth Botanic Gardens individual annual membership costs $60 and includes many perks like a subscription to Better Homes and Gardens magazine and reciprocal admission to over 330 public gardens across the country. A family annual membership is $95 for two adults and two children. https://fwbg.org/become-a-member/
A Dallas Arboretum individual annual membership runs $102, and a family annual membership is $151. Membership includes perks like free parking, gift shop discounts, reciprocal admission to more than 300 gardens and arboretums worldwide. https://www.dallasarboretum.org/support/membership/
And yes, these two gardens do allow reciprocal admissions, so a FWBG membership offers better bang for your buck.
Aerogarden
For the gardener who is anxiously awaiting a return to the outdoor growing season while stuck inside during a bleak winter, Aerogarden, an indoor aeroponic/hydroponic growing system, may fit the bill. I’ve used it repeatedly to grow and/or start herbs, flowers, even tomato plants. You can then choose to keep the plants growing in the Aerogarden (if the plant doesn’t get too tall to stay under the LED grow lights) or to transplant your starts elsewhere. Their website touts a faster grow time: “5X faster than soil,” and while I cannot attest to the accuracy of that figure, I can absolutely say that any plants I start in the Aerogarden do grow more quickly than those started elsewhere.
Aerogarden systems start at around $60 and go up to around $600, depending on the size and features. Some of the higher end systems can even connect to your Wi-Fi and feature a Vacation Mode. All systems do include a starter kit of fertilizer and seed pods, and you can choose the type of seeds you would like included (herbs, salad greens, various flowers, etc.). The recipient can then purchase more seed pods online or can choose a Grow Anything Seed Pod Kit, which includes the plastic receptacle with a growing medium but no seed. Gardeners can then insert their own desired seeds to grow. I’ve done this to start a variety of flowers and herbs, and it works wonderfully. www.aerogarden.com
The Personal Touch
What gardener doesn’t love seeds? You can, of course, purchase seed to gift, but many of us also have plenty of seed we can gather from our own plants to gift as well. Seeds are an inexpensive gift that can add a personal touch, especially if you feel crafty and create attractive seed packaging by hand. Many gardeners would be thrilled to receive seeds that are considered unusual or otherwise valuable, and for many it can be quite sentimental to grow a plant from gifted seeds. Perhaps consider gifting bluebonnet seeds to a transplanted Texan or seeds from your most productive tomato plant. If you gather your own seeds, of course, you will want to be sure to follow best practices for harvesting and storing that seed as well as making sure your gifted seed packet includes accurate instructions for the recipient.
Other gift possibilities that may work for your gardener:
If none of these options sounds like a winner for your gardener, you may also contemplate gift certificates to locally owned nurseries or gardening classes, gardening books, protective clothing, and garden tools or totes.