Holiday Gift Guide

for Gardeners

Discover the best gifts for gardeners this holiday season! Shop gifts for a range of budgets, curated by Southern California garden expert Nan Sterman.

Gifts for Gardeners under $25

Dramm One-Touch Rain Wand

Toss those awful, gun-style watering nozzles. This is my go-to for watering pots and newly installed plants—and makes a great gift idea for gardeners! It delivers a lot of water gently, so it doesn't blast soil away, plus it's easy to turn on and off with the flick of a thumb.

Kana Japanese Garden Hoe

This is the one-stop-shop tool for digging, weeding, even breaking up hard soil. You’ll find a ton of other uses for it, too. Well made, well balanced, and the handle feels nice in your hand. The blade is sharp, just the way it should be, but take care when using! This will quickly become the tool you reach for first when you’re gardening.

Barn Owl Box

Got gophers? Rats? Mice? Get a barn owl. No, they’re not for sale, but you can entice them to move in with a nice, cozy home of their own. Hang this well-made nesting box high in a tree or on a tall pole in your garden. It may take some time but once an owl appears, gophers and rodents disappear—into the owl’s belly!

Solar Bird Bath Fountain Pump

Bring more birds to your garden by floating this solar powered pump in your favorite bird bath. The pump creates a gentle spray that keeps the water moving, both to attract birds and prevent mosquitoes from breeding. There are multiple spray patterns to choose from and, since it’s solar powered, there’s no messing with batteries or electrical outlets.

$20

On-Demand Classes from Nan Sterman's Garden School

These 1-hour classes are deep dives into all kinds of interesting topics curated for Southern California gardeners. Whether your favorite gardener wants to attract pollinators to their garden, better care for their plants in different seasons, or discover new native plants for their own backyard, these make a great gift!

Gifts for Gardeners under $50

Hot Color, Dry Garden

My most recent book teaches you how to create a drought resilient garden in Southern California that's bursting with color. It’s filled with gorgeous photos of some of my favorite gardens and lessons on how to create gardens that offer the same "wow" factor, while remaining easy to maintain, supporting pollinators, and thriving on little more than Mother Nature’s rainfall.

Corona Forged-Steel Pruning Shears

Are you ready for well-made, affordable pruning shears that cut cleanly and feel good in your hands? These Corona shears are for you. They cut smoothly and aren’t too heavy in my hand, yet they take on even heavy duty tasks like pruning fruit trees.. The blades sharpen very well and the shears last forever. Bonus: the red handles are easy to find when you’ve sent them down somewhere in your garden!

WisePro Gardening Apron

I'm picky when it comes to garden aprons.This apron does it all! This apron has lots of big pockets and a comfortable, criss-cross back. It stands up to sharp tools, dirt and plant debris that accumulates in the pockets, getting doused in water, and still protects my phone, plant labels, pencils, tools, and more.

UV-Protective Sleeves

I know how important it is to protect my arms from sun exposure, but long sleeves are so uncomfortable when I’m gardening. That’s why I like these UV protective sleeves. They are light weight enough that I barely feel them, yet they really protect my skin from the sun. When they get dirty, I toss them in the sink or washer. I have several pairs.

Gifts for Gardeners under $150

GardenWise Monthly Gardening Guide

Does your favorite gardener struggle with knowing what to do in the garden each month? GardenWise is my monthly menu of what to do and what to plant in the garden, along with a spotlight on a new, cool plant perfectly suited to Southern California’s growing conditions. This is a gift they’ll definitely thank you for!

Leather Garden Tool Belt

Can a tool belt be sexy? This one sure is. And convenient too. There’s a pocket or loop for just about everything you need to carry with you. It’s sturdy and soft, with pockets to hold everything you need while gardening. Its design puts everything just in reach and it’s so comfortable, you’ll be tempted to leave it on, even after the sun goes down!

Coolibar UPF 50+ Sun Protection Hat

I’m always searching for the perfect garden hat, especially one that I can wear to the garden, client meetings, and everywhere in between. This beautiful hat might finally be it. It’s light weight with wide coverage to protect my neck, shoulders, scalp and face. The draw string holds it on in the wind or when I bend over to weed. UPF 50+ rated.

Dramm Colorstorm Hose

Most hoses kink, crack, break, and fall apart in just a few years. That doesn’t happen with Dramm hoses. I just counted 9 of these hoses in my garden – in all the wonderful colors and some more than a decade old. They last forever!

Gifts for Gardeners under $500

Vegepod

I’ve never met a freestanding raised bed that even comes close to my Vegepod. It’s waist high and easy to reach. Its deep bed supports even deep-rooted plants like eggplants and peppers. The built-in watering system takes care of all the irrigation needs, while the cover protects it from hungry critters. And it’s tough and sturdy – no rusting, not rotting. This is the best!

Ambient Weather Station

While other women ask for jewelry for their birthdays, I asked for a weather station. This Ambient WiFi weather station is our second weather station and it’s a game changer. It tracks temperature and rainfall, along with barometric pressure, solar radiation, and UV. Plus, it sends the info directly to my phone. If you are serious about gardening, you need a weather station.

Gorilla Cart

I know that the pros prefer three-wheeled wheelbarrows, but I want the stability of four wheels. I also need a cart that is easy to pull over uneven ground. That’s what you get with this Gorilla cart. I love the large capacity and quick release for dumping a load. The heavy-duty plastic seems like it lasts forever. Whether you need to move soil, bricks, wood, mulch, or your puppy, this is a great cart.

Stihl Wood Cutter

This is the gift I most want this year. Winter is pruning time and that includes removing some sizable branches from my trees. Normally, I’d pull out the pruning saw and saw away until I eventually make my way through the branch. But honestly, it wears me out. I want an easier way to do that really important work. When I asked my colleagues, this was the most often recommended tool for the job. Save your favorite gardener the shoulder pain and get them this instead.