I have just finished my 12 days of Christmas cookie challenge, so I apologize for the lack of gardening to food ratio balance. It’s just that there’s not a lot growing around here. I’m not yet thinking too much about gardening, but I have been doing a bit of online garden dreaming. As it is a cold windy day, I don’t even want to go outside to put my Christmas decorations up.

I was shopping the Burpee seed catalog. I was thinking about what I would like to buy, and what would be a good Christmas gift for me the gardener.

I have to say that I love these Seed Package Christmas tree ornaments (package of 3),

but I don’t think anyone will buy them for me for Christmas – so maybe I should buy them myself? They had gardening gloves in collectors’s boxes but at $89.95 they are not a practical gift. I think most gardeners are thrifty like me. Am I right?

There were some interesting tool sets for weeding. They were tempting, but at $35.95 to $139.95, I think everybody knows, I just tear my gloves off and pull the weeds out with my hands. You only have to check out my manicure to know the truth….

Those of us who like to garden, tend to be focused on the practical and the very pretty. It’s not so much the basic tools and seed starter kits. It’s the dream of flowers or the best vegetables or some unique tool that will allow me to grow more, or some unique piece of garden art.

I am a plant hoarder at heart. I want to grow more in the space I have. I want to find that unique flower that is magic in my garden, or to grow the biggest pumpkin ever, or the sweetest tomato possible, so I am enticed by the “glamorous” heirloom seed collection, or the possibility of giant vegetables. These kind of things get me really wound up!

So if you are searching for gifts for your family gardener, look for practical, frugal but fantastic! Right now I’m dreaming of plants that will actually grow from seed – like sunflowers and zinnias, plants that can grow from bare root like roses or some unique shrub and vegetables that don’t necessarily need to be started indoors like a special squash variety or a pretty climbing bean.

And now that I think about it a bit I’m pretty excited about Burpee’s Organic Pea and Bean fertilizer https://www.burpee.com/gardening-supplies/vegetable-fertilizers/burpee-bean-and-pea-booster-prod001207.html but that’s just me.

And if you think about it, if you’ve watched me garden, you’ll notice that as I move around my garden I often leave a pile of weeds or maybe some vegetables in a trail behind me – so I love the idea of a 7 gallon gardening tote https://www.burpee.com/gardening-supplies/vegetable-fertilizers/burpee-bean-and-pea-booster-prod001207.html

As I said before, I might enjoy some heirloom seeds, some sort of raised bed gadgetry, a rain barrel or maybe a gardening book with lots of pictures for inspiration. I envy the gardening tower, but at $389 or so I wouldn’t buy it for myself, and the wooden elevated planter box with shelf maybe seems a bit too dear at $249. The cold frames starting at $169 seem like a splurge to me, but aren’t I worth it?

Over at Amazon, I was intrigued by this potato grow box https://www.notonthehighstreet.com/plantabox/product/personalised-potato-planter-crate or a potato grow bag https://www.amazon.ca/GROWNEER-Gallons-Planting-Aeration-Vegetables/dp/B07J68XMPJ/ref=asc_df_B07J68XMPJ/?tag=bingshopdesk-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=&hvpos=&hvnetw=o&hvrand=&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584207582582217&psc=1 but I can’t say that I’ve tried any of them. That’s the thing about gardening – we are always dreaming of growing.

Finally, I love all things vintage, and my style is white wicker, ironware or vintage white trellises, so my perfect Christmas gift would be some odd bit of garden art or vintage flower pot from the local flea market. Don’t fret. You know I will be happy on Christmas morning!

Happy Shopping.

There are links here, but not currently any affiliate links, just things that inspire me to shop!