Remember, a gift from the heart needn’t cost the earth (or indeed anything at all) …
- A trailer-load of compost/manure
- A voucher for your time, to be spent in the garden
- A new tool (spend as much as you can afford, it will be appreciated – with tools it’s very much you get what you pay for)
- Packets of unusual seeds – try Wildflower World or something from Koanga Gardens
- Book vouchers
- Garden centre vouchers …
Notice how the word “voucher” recurs? That’s because in my experience, gardeners often prefer to choose what they want themselves. Give a plant by all means, but make sure it is a plant the recipient actually wants!
Hand-made signs can be fun, but check that it’s something the recipient will appreciate and not feel duty bound to put in.

Photo: Sandra Simpson
Making something for the garden is a project the whole family can be involved with, although time is ticking away. Some ideas for and pictures of an “insect hotel” structure can be found here and here.

Making a bug hotel can be fun for all the family – and encourages beneficial insects to hang around. Photo: Sandra Simpson
But whatever you give, if it’s chosen for the right reasons you won’t go wrong.