Give a gift from your garden

Handmade and homemade are all on trend. It’s not about how much you spend but the thought and care that goes into making and giving a gift that counts as they say.
Garden orientated gifts are quite often the gifts that keep on giving, whether it be a plant, gardening tools and equipment, a garden centre gift voucher, seeds, garden book, and the list goes on. But what can you make from scratch?

Here are 12 gift ideas you can create from your garden:

• Propagated cuttings of plants from your garden: Propagating is where you take the root or stem of a plant and put it into the best environment for it to grow another plant. This may seem like a tiny gift to you, but it can turn into a $300+ plant for the people receiving them. Perhaps it’s not from your garden perhaps it’s from a neighbour or a friend of yours who has “that plant” that your receiver may want. Trust in the fact that a garden lover will appreciate an off cutting.

• Seeds saved from your garden, given in pretty envelopes or jars
  

  Those sunflowers in your garden, has seeds. Those Capsicums, watermelon, pumpkins, & tomatoes also have seeds. There are so many that you can turn into a gift. Wrap it in a card once they are dried out and gift away.

• Pressed flowers on cards

  This can take a bit of time depending on how you plan on using them. Whether it’s in a card or in a frame it makes for a unique way of gifting to someone. To do this grab a thick book that has a bit of weight to it (or a book and a weight), open and place a newspaper into the middle. Take the fresh flower/s on the newspaper and carefully close the book. Once pressed (at least 24 hours, less with weights) leave the flower to dry out in a cool, dry area. Once dried, glue it to a card or picture board, or even a canvas for the intended use.

• Bunches of flowers and foliage from your garden

  Such a simple gift, but did you know that over 80% of people who have had flowers receive their first bunch of flowers at a funeral…. The gift of flowers, wild and fresh from your garden is just as good as a store-bought bunch. Dress them up or put them in a nice vase to make the impact you want. These are a gift from our Organic Health trial to one of our staff, put a smile on her face every morning:

• Harvests that you have processed and turned into; dried citrus, jam, chutney, dried fruit, pickles or alternatively fresh harvests, all from your garden

  My Grandma would make plum jams and special chutney and pickled onions regularly as a gift. Store bought just wasn’t the same and it’s something we still rave about today and with all the jars available you can easily turn it into customised gift. If you have the time add a special label created to add that extra WOW.

• Old gardening magazines bundled up with ribbon or a gardening magazine subscription

  There is so much knowledge in gardening magazines so whether they are old or new they are invaluable to any gardener experienced or starter. Here are some great magazines to try: Australian Gardener, Organic Gardening, Better Homes & Garden, House & Garden, Grass Roots, Country Style.

• Punnets of edibles flowers from your garden

• Indoor plant cuttings like Epipremnum or Syngonium already growing in a vessel of water

  Another form of propagation, all you need is the plant cut off and a vase with water. Maybe even a ribbon to add that extra.

• Composting worms from your worm farm for a new worm tower or worm farm set up

  They really need to love their gardens for this one but for true gardeners a worm farm set up or worms for their tower is a great gift. You may want to put a warning not to tip though.

• Potted plant - This could be an edible planter, indoor plant combination or a mix of annual and perennial flowers...the possibilities are endless

• Make a terrarium perhaps

  Not the hardest to make and certainly a creative gift for the indoor or outdoors. We will share with you how to make one soon.

• Or could it be the gift of time? Gardening time or a garden/farm visit or garden experience.

Think outside the square when it comes gift giving and the festive season ahead.