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Sep 22, 2023

15 Best Gifts for Gardeners of 2023

Any avid gardener has their favorite tools of the trade, and getting them a gift

Any avid gardener has their favorite tools of the trade, and getting them a gift that relates to their area of expertise might leave you feeling trapped between the technical (what is the best hose, anyway?) and the utterly useless (gazing globe, garden gnomes). The 15 picks on this list are a combo of tried-and-true but not strictly necessary—aka not something they have already. Each item is a joy to have on hand, especially if one's hands are happiest in the dirt.

They’re sharp, durable, smooth, easy to repair, and easy to find—and may be the last pruner your recipient ever owns.

Lopping, pruning, and deadheading are three of the great joys of gardening, and a good pair of pruners is essential to get the job done. The Felco 2 Classic Manual Hand Pruner is our pick for the best garden pruner. They’re sharp. They’re smooth. And with a little TLC (don't put them away wet and dirty), they might just last forever. If something does go amiss, Felco offers a lifetime warranty and replacement parts.

This rectangle of rigid foam does one thing and does it well: It saves a kneeling gardener's knees. It also lasts longer than thinner, less expensive versions we’ve tried.

A rigid rectangle of foam isn't exactly sexy, but it will really save your giftee's knees during weeding, mulching, trimming, composting, and all the other low-to-the-ground tasks a garden demands. The Gorilla Grip Thick Foam Kneeling Pad is made from 1.5 inches of springy foam that's rugged enough to resist discoloration and tears, even if it does get dragged around in the dirt (as it should). At about the size of a newspaper, it's not particularly big, which makes it great for maneuvering into small spots. The dozen available shades are cheery—but even more fun is the gift of non-achy knees.

This single-piece, stainless steel trowel slices through dirt like a soil knife but scoops a better-than-average amount of dirt.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $23.

This indestructible and razor-sharp trowel is a garden workhouse, ideal for planting, weeding, and breaking up soil. In truth it's a multi-tool, working as a hand shovel when backfilling transplants, a blade when perforating a bag of soil or fertilizer, and an edger when tidying up rowdy borders. (The versatility is also why it's also an indispensable addition to an urban gardening kit.) The trowel comes in a range of lengths, but we found the 14-inch version was long enough to make short work of substantial holes without the need for a bigger, bulkier shovel. One staffer reports that on a group planting day, a neighbor liked hers so much that she took it home—so do warn your recipient to keep tabs on their new score.

These worth-the-price goatskin gloves protect hands and wrists from briars and brambles. While they will dirty with age, they don't crack or tear.

These supple goatskin gloves count passionate garden enthusiasts among their many fans. They’re tough but not bulky, unlike many leather work gloves. The material will stretch and mold to one's hands after a few afternoons’ work, making them fit like, well, a glove. They arrive almost blindingly white, and even though a rinse in the hose will take off large debris, they do brown with age. If your favorite gardener is a more practical type, a pair from our guide to the best gardening gloves has a handful of great options.

Made from wild savannah grass, this wide-brimmed hat offers generous shade and stays put, thanks to a secure leather chin strap.

Sure, a baseball hat will do. And so would a hiking hat. But a stylish choice is this wide-brimmed straw hat, handmade in the Bolgatanga region of northern Ghana. Because the brim is straight, it blocks the sun but not the sight line, and one needn't worry about the hat flopping off, thanks to a comfy leather chin strap. Staff writer Samantha Schoech has worn hers while beaching, hiking, and gardening. She's even dunked it in a river (for cooling and shaping purposes), and it still looks great.

The convex double-sided blade of this push-pull weeder loosens soil as it cuts weeds at the roots. You’ll have to buy the handle separately, though.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $25.

This comfy, snap-on plastic handle fits a range of Wolf-Garten garden tools, including our favorite weeder.

Help the garden lover in your life get a grip on weeds. The double-sided blade on this weeder slides back and forth under the soil, nipping weeds at their roots and loosening packed dirt. It's basically a more versatile version of Wirecutter's favorite stirrup hoe. Handles are sold separately for $12 to $50 depending on length, can be easily switched out with a click, and are compatible with all Interlocken hand tools. A short handle works best for more precise work; a longer, back-saving handle is best for big areas. Samantha has used hers with the 7-inch short handle for at least five years to tackle thick spring weeds, and it remains her favorite tool in the shed.

This old-fashioned wooden contraption turns newspaper into seedling pots in about 15 seconds.

For gardeners who spend their late winters and springs germinating seeds for summer gardens, this simple, two-piece wooden pot press is the gift that keeps on giving. Whenever one is struck with the desire to plant something, they’ll just need a long strip of newspaper and about 15 seconds. By wrapping the wood dowel in paper and then pressing it into the base, one can make a suitable 1.75-inch seed vessel. Once the baby sprouts are ready to transplant, your plant lover can protect delicate root systems by sticking the entire pot in the ground, where it will eventually disintegrate.

These pretty, pest-proof reusable tins are stocked with 10 packets of organic seeds for themed gardens. And if they don't flourish, the company will replace them.

Each of these reusable and pest-proof tins is stocked with 10 packets of organic seeds in a range of clever, useful themes, like herbal teas (lemon balm, licorice mint) and prepper survival (bush beans, sugar pumpkins). Peaceful Valley also has a super-knowledgeable staff ready to answer questions, and a library of how-to videos for all things garden-related. And if the seeds don't germinate, they’ll replace them.

These bright, tough tubs are the perfect garden catch-all, and the flexible plastic stands up to all sorts of lugging and tugging.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $28.

These cheery buckets are the way to go when it comes to toting around, well, anything in the garden, including but not limited to weeds, clippings, transplants, and compost. They’re made of a bendy rubberized plastic that doesn't crack or fade, and their flexibility allows users to squeeze the handles together and carry them one-handed (provided they are not full of rocks). Samantha has them in three sizes that she uses regularly, and she doesn't stress about putting them away after each use, since they also look great just sitting around. And in the offseason, they’re happy pitching in as ice buckets, laundry baskets, and toy bins.

This rustproof brass watering wand fits standard 0.75-inch hoses. The smooth ball valve and finely perforated rose create a fine, adjustable soak.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $234.

We feel like a 19th-century gardener tending to our plants with this handsome brass watering wand. And that's worth every bit of the very steep price tag. Made in England of solid, rustproof brass, with a ball valve to control the water flow, the 24-inch shaft allows the waterer to reach faraway plants without blasting them with a high-pressure nozzle. Depending on the location of one's spigot, it also eliminates the need for outdoor watering cans on patios or decks. The flow is rain-like, the brass is shiny, and—let's face it—it looks pretty good just lying around on the gravel.

A super-strong steel-and-ash spade with a sharp edge, a sturdy foot tread, and replaceable parts eases the drudgery of digging.

It's been reported that British gardening legend Monty Don considers his gardening spade so beloved, he won't even let his friends touch it. The Pedigree Stainless Digging Spade with Treads is the tool that inspired such loyalty, and editor Hannah Morrill can attest to its superiority. This tool has a rather short stature (39 or 43 inches) and a treaded edge, so it's easy to get a firm grip without slipping, even in the rockiest, gnarliest soils. The carbon steel edge is sharp, too, ideal for splitting unruly perennials or chopping tough roots. Most importantly, though, the forged spade comes with a 25-year warranty, and if the handle gets left in the rain, it can easily be replaced for just $12.

Hunter boots have an iconic slim silhouette and style, but they also have the quality to back up their high price tag, and they’re easy to slide on and off. Except for sizes and color options, the men's and women's version are the same.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $80.

Hunter boots have an iconic slim silhouette and style, but they also have the quality to back up their high price tag, and they’re easy to slide on and off. Except for sizes and color options, the men's and women's versions are the same.

Hunter Original Short Rain Boots are one of our rain-boot picks, but they’re also perfect for messing about in the garden. They can be hosed off, they keep feet dry and clean, and they are easy to put on and take off. Hannah says the short ones have served her well for both home gardening and a summer season on a small farm; the taller ones can be unpleasantly sweaty. Helpful hint: Go for a darker color like green or navy, as lighter tones like pink and beige stain after a while.

This French clay soap made with ground terra-cotta feels like a pumice stone and has extra scrubbing power.

This two-sided nail brush made of boar bristles and olive wood can get even the dirtiest nails squeaky clean.

May be out of stock

A gardener's hands will get dirty. Super dirty. A good soap and a quality nail brush are must-haves for working the soil out of nail beds and fingerprints. This clay soap is infused with ground terra-cotta and works like a pumice-stone-and-soap in one to take off the top layer of dirt, pitch, and grime. For anything left over, a lovely little nail brush can take the second shift. The polished olive-wood handle resists mold, and two sizes of stiff boar bristles—short for fingernails, long for fingertips and palms—leave hands both soft and clean.

This soothing skin-care treat is perfect for dry hands and post-gardening skin flare-ups.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $14.

Although gardeners love their hands in the dirt, they don't necessarily want to look like they do. Enter a good, healing hand cream. Weleda Skin Food is a longtime Wirecutter favorite for very good reason. It soothes dry, chapped skin with a thick mixture of calendula and chamomile in a base of oils and beeswax, and it contains no parabens or other questionable chemical nasties. It also has a nice, subtle scent—although no synthetic fragrance—that works even for the scent-averse.

We love finding gifts that are unusual, thoughtful, and well vetted. See even more gift ideas we recommend.

This article was edited by Hannah Morrill and Jennifer Hunter.

Samantha Schoech

Except for the time she gave a boyfriend her mother's old toaster for Christmas, staff writer Samantha Schoech has a reputation as an excellent gift giver. She lives in San Francisco with two teens, two cats, a geriatric betta fish, and a bookseller husband. Her first book of short stories, My Mother's Boyfriends, is coming out in 2024.

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