As we say good-bye to November and welcome December, shoppers might be considering options for holiday gift-giving for their favorite gardeners. With several terrific choices for the gardeners on your list, local shops and nurseries have many options on hand. Here are some suggestions for gardening related gifts.
One item to add to your list is the UC Master Gardeners of Nevada County Western Sierra Foothill Garden Guide, written by local Master Gardeners with a focus on gardening in Nevada County and surrounding foothill communities. The Garden Guide provides cultural tips and an abundance of gardening information relevant to the Sierra foothills. The book offers sections on growing native plants, climate, container gardening, composting and vermicomposting as well as an abundance of information about building healthy soil and tips on vegetable gardening with lists of plants that grow well in our area. We also offer expanded information about integrated pest management. As one of our major fundraising sources, Garden Guide sales go back to our local UC Master Gardener program. The Western Sierra Foothill Garden Guides are available at the following local nurseries: A to Z Nursery, B&C Nursery, New Life Nursery in Penn Valley, Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply, and Weiss Brothers Nursery. To find out more, go to our website https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-nevada-county and find the link on the left menu bar. Here you’ll find out more about the book content and some history behind its development.
An item on many gardeners’ gift-list is gardening gloves. One size does not fit all – there are a number of options available. Gloves are essentially protective devices. They protect hands from thorns, scratches, insect bites and other irritants. There are gloves specifically for pruning thorny plants. These are often thick leather or an impermeable material with longer wrist protection to prevent injury from thorns. Gloves with puncture-proof coating may be perfect for the gardener who needs to clear blackberry bushes or other thorny projects. Other types of gloves include nitrile gloves which are protective, but not totally puncture proof. These types of gloves offer shielding from insects, splinters, moisture, irritants and muddy soil. Cotton gloves are comfortable and breathable, but not very protective.
Just as a woodworker would ask for specific types of saws, sanders or other tools, a gardener may have some specific tools on the gift list. There are so many options available – large and small. Quality bypass hand pruners or a pruning saw may fit the need quite well. Bypass pruning shears come with ergonomic handles, and sharp blades which makes pruning chores much simpler. Trimming or thinning shears are best for smaller jobs or cutting flowers. Pruning saws are best for taking out larger limbs from trees. Consider some fine hand-forged Japanese bypass shears as a very special gift for a gardener. The Hori-Hori knife is also a wonderful addition to the gardener’s tool belt. A powered pole saw is also a consideration for tree pruning on taller trees. Look for pruners at nurseries and hardware stores.
Other tools that might be great gift options include sharp, shiny new shovels, rakes or even a broadfork. A few years ago, a broadfork was on my list for Christmas. Now after several years of use, I am glad I asked for this more costly, but efficient digger. What an invigorating tool! The broadfork, also known as a grelinette or U-Fork, generally has five or seven tines which are spaced at varying widths and have a range of depths. With a handle at each end of the frame, the broadfork may also be called the two-handed fork. The broadfork is a tool for cultivating soil – the tines are forced into the soil with the gardener stepping on the frame of the broadfork, allowing the tines to penetrate deep into hardpan or heavy soil. The weight of the gardener helps get the tines down into the soil, and then soil is loosened by rocking back on the fork. The soil is not turned over completely (which promotes more weed growth and damages the strata of the soil), but is just loosened in 6” to 8” increments, making an easier job of weeding. The broadfork also helps preserve the soil against compaction, and promotes deeper penetration of soil with fewer disturbances to underlying microbes and soil structure. Plus, using the broadfork is good exercise, and promotes steady balance!
Other gift ideas include the gift of plants in lovely hand decorated pots, vases for cut flowers or other containers for planting smaller gardens. A garden cart, wagon or wheel barrow is essential to most garden activities. Supplies for birds and butterflies are a rich addition to any garden, and attracts our native birds and pollinators. The gift of a membership to a gardening club or group is also a thoughtful way to care for the community. Consider a gift membership to a native plant group such as the Redbud Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (https://chapters.cnps.org/redbud/) , or donate on behalf of your gardener or make a commemorative gift to our local UC Master Gardener program – donations may be made by clicking on the “donate” button on our home page. Give a gift while giving back!
We are so grateful to our community for your continued support through the year, and for our recent Giving Day campaign – thank you! We look forward to seeing you at our 2026 events and free public workshops starting in February 2026. Merry Christmas to all!
Ann Wright is a UC Master Gardener of Nevada County.
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