If you don't garden yourself, working out what on earth to gift your gardener friends and family can be a thorny issue.
While most people would be offended to find a sack of dirt or a sharp-edged object under the tree come Christmas morning, those with green fingers would find it more generous than Grinchy to receive such an offering.
From packets of seeds in the post to pretty gardening guides, here are gifts to suits all types of garden fans.
Seeds
Seeds are a treat for most gardeners, and they are the ultimate in gifts that keep on giving.
Planted in winter, they might be flowers in the summer.
Packets of seed can be posted so are a great gift for friends or relatives you might not see over the festive break.
Top of my list of places to shop for seeds is Tamar Organics and Real Seeds, which offers over 50 different types of tomato seed.
Compost
Giving someone dirt for Christmas might not seem very loving, but for gardeners it’s different.
A couple of companies offer bags of compost at a size manageable for small London homes and for gift-giving.
Dalefoot Composts produces a lovely organic seed compost in 12 litre bags, and Conservatory Archives sells its house plant potting mix in three, eight and 22 litre bags.
Gardening trowel
Good gardening tools should last a lifetime. If you are buying tools as a gift, hand-crafted is probably the way to go.
Dutch tool maker Sneeboer has been hand-forging stainless steel tools for 110 years.
No gardener can have too many pairs of snips or secateurs, and Niwaki makes a range of beautiful tools — including carbon steel-forged secateurs from Japan.
Notepads and almanacs
There is no better place to embrace the seasons than in the garden, and almanacs are a great guide to learning more about the natural world and feeling a part of it.
The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2024 is the latest by Lia Leendertz.
The National Trust has also written a Gardener’s Almanac this year with Greg Loades.
If you are buying for someone who likes to keep notes of the seasons, garden-specific journals can be rigid in their format.
Leuchtturm notebooks are great for gardeners, they have a paper pocket on the back page ideal for collecting seeds.
