Holiday Guide to Garden Gifts for Outdoor Living

Holiday plants make the perfect present because they can be used as decorations throughout the holiday season. Dainty succulents in decorated pots make pretty hostess gifts. Poinsettias brighten any room or porch. Ivy topiaries, miniature rosemary trees, Christmas cactus and cyclamen are other popular plants that do double duty as gifts and decoration. If the recipient is new at gardening, include instructions for plant care with the plant. You can also include the link to The Home Depot Workshops online or on a calendar with upcoming In-Store Kids Workshops in your area. Finally, if the recipient has struggled with gardening, consider an artificial topiary or plant.

New gardeners are often intimidated by forcing bulbs, but it’s one of the easiest ways to garden —and they make a great gift. For example, three or four narcissus bulbs arranged in a bulb planter can be forced to provide beautiful blooms for a holiday dining table. Amaryllis bulbs in a glass bulb vase dress up window sills and fireplace mantels. Hyacinths fill a room with a fragrant floral scent.

When purchasing bulbs, check to see if they have been pre-chilled. If not, take them home and place them in your refrigerator for a few weeks, until you’re ready to give them as gifts. Exposure to the cold, which mimics the cool temperatures of winter, is required to force blooms. You can also start the blooming process by placing rocks or shells in the bottom of a bulb planter. Then, set the pre-chilled bulbs on top of the rocks. Fill it with water, so that the bulbs sit just above the waterline. When bulbs start to grow, you may have to tie their stalks together with ribbon to keep them upright.

One more option is to use bulbs dipped in wax. These bulbs have been pre-chilled and are ready for forcing. Their only requirement is sunlight to coax the bulb to begin the growing process.

If you like to craft, make homemade potpourri, such as this dried orange and rosemary combination, and gift with potted herbs. To make potpourri, thinly slice an orange and lay flat on a cookie sheet. Bake on low heat until completely dry. Place slices in the jar and add sprigs of fresh rosemary. Keep sealed for several weeks. When ready to use, add potpourri to a pot of simmering water on your stove.

Another garden gift idea is to give plants that can be planted outdoors. Investigate to see what your recipient might already have planted in their yard, or if they are considering planting a new type of shrub or flower. Consider palms, shrubs and flowers that work well in bird gardens or annuals that will bloom throughout spring. Even vines, such as jasmine and honeysuckle, are versatile plants that enhance any landscape. If you’re unsure about what to buy, a Home Depot gift card is always a popular option.

Every gardener can always use more garden tools and supplies. For a creative flair, paint peat pots with glitter paint and add a painted pinecone on top to make cute Christmas tree decorations. After the holidays, the pots can be used to start seeds. If you want to gift garden tools, shovels, rakes, loppers, hedge shears and garden hoses will all be put to good use. For flower enthusiasts, get them bulb planters, hand trowels, garden gloves and weeders.

You might also consider a garden tool set, with several different tools. For advanced gardeners, look for specialty garden tools, such as power planters and kneeling benches. For the person who has it all, try hydroponic gardening. There are a variety of hydroponic systems to choose from, or you can get individual items, such as grow lights, heat mats, seed starters and grow tents to get them started.

Terracotta pots that are whitewashed and stacked, then topped with stars, make a cute holiday decoration or a charming gift for the gardener on your list. You can also gift garden accessories. Freestanding fountains, flags and garden statues, such as lawn gnomes and yard flamingoes, bird baths, and outdoor wall sculptures, are just a few of the garden accessory options available.