Just because most of our gardens are asleep in winter doesn’t mean we don’t love a good garden-centric gift in our Christmas stockings, right?
In fact, these are the types of pint-sized presents that get us excited for longer days, warmer nights, and dirt under our nails again.
I also think they make a sweet thank-you gift when you just want to send a small token of appreciation, long after the holidays have passed—perhaps for the neighbor who always shares her extra lemons and lets you take cuttings from her garden, or the friend who always drops off homemade pickles and canned tomatoes at your door because she’s awesome.
These thoughtful items are all curated by a fellow green thumb (that’s me!) and not a list of editorial ads, sponsored stuff, or things I got for free. I actually own and love (or have gifted) some of these items, so trust that I won’t steer you wrong.
And if you’re looking for just the right gift to put under a tree (or for any occasion), be sure to check out my updated gift guides for 36 Genius Gifts for Gardeners They’ll Really Dig, 17 Awesome Adventure Gifts for the Outdoor Lover, and 19 Unique Non-Cheesy Gifts for National Park Lovers.
Disclosure: All products on this page are independently selected. If you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.
The best stocking stuffers and budget gifts for gardeners, plant lovers, and urban farmers
1. Pollinator Push Gardens: Stuff a few of these pollinator “push ups” in your favorite people’s stockings for a fun surprise.
These cute and convenient tubes include three different wildflower seed blends (for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds), each of them enough to plant a square-foot garden patch.
2. Seed-Bearing Lollipops: If your giftee has a sweet tooth (and a green thumb), I can’t think of a better treat than these gourmet lollipops.
Each one comes in a dazzling flavor (strawberry basil, lavender lemongrass, or peach marigold, anyone?) but the fun part is what happens after: the lollipop stick can be planted in the soil to grow an herb or flower!
3. Sunflower Garden Grow Kit: I always love a good hands-on gift (remember this eggshell seed starting project from my site?) and this adorable kit has everything a flower gardener needs to get started.
You get wooden plant markers, peat squares for growing, and six packets of sunflower seeds to choose from, plus an egg carton to sprout them in. (I like the cocktail garden kit, salsa garden kit, and colorful flower kit, too.)
4. Bottle Stopper Garden Kit: Know someone who likes drinking wine and gardening? (Maybe even both at the same time?!)
This fun little kit helps you grow an indoor hydroponic garden while upcycling an empty wine bottle. (Wine not included, but who’s to say you can’t slip a bottle in the stocking too?) Once the wine is emptied, fill the bottle with water, plug the neck with the included “smart soil” capsule, and drop in some herb or flower seeds. Within a few days, you’ll have your very own hydroponic garden.
5. Save the Monarchs Wildflower Seed Mix: When it comes to gifts for gardeners, you can’t go wrong with seeds. The more the merrier!
And this beautifully designed seed pack definitely delivers on its name: it’s filled with an exclusive blend of 100,000 seeds for 13 essential wildflowers known to sustain monarch butterfly populations, including butterfly milkweed, Indian blanket, Mexican sunflower, verbena, aster, coneflower, and more. If you need other varieties, there’s also a wildflower seed mix for dryland pollinators, cold-hardy Rock Mountain region, hummingbirds and butterflies, and bees.
6. Mini Pruner: Don’t be fooled by its compact size. This mini pruner has a sharp blade that can cut, trim, and tidy up everything from flower stems to small limbs.
Small but mighty, it’s easy to tuck into a shirt pocket too—and the price is reasonable enough to pick up a few pairs for friends.
7. Sprouting Seeds Hydroponic Planter: This terracotta pot kind of reminds me of a Chia pet from the old days, but with a more modern spin.
Just add water and seeds, and the hydroponic planter will grow nutrient-packed sprouts right on your desk! If you don’t get around to harvesting them, the sprouts still make a fun little houseplant and you can continue growing more seeds (my favorites are radish sprouts and broccoli sprouts—this is my favorite site for buying all kinds of sprouting seeds).
8. Set of 4 Mini Kenzan: These mini kenzan (what you might know as floral frogs) are a really beautiful way to display small stems or dainty cuttings from your garden.
You can use them as is and display on a shelf in their minimalist form, or place them inside a vase or flower pot as a sustainable alternative to floral foam. The brass pins are strong enough to hold woody stems and can be reused over and over.
9. Hi-Dex Garden Gloves: I recommended leather gloves in my other gift guide, but they’re not exactly the kind of gloves you can buy multiples of just to toss around and ultimately misplace in the yard.
So, I always like to stock up on less expensive (but no less reliable) gloves when I find ones that are both practical and pretty. Digz gloves are exactly that, and what I like about this version is the improved dexterity that makes it feel like you’re hardly wearing gloves at all. (I also love the kids’ version for my little garden helpers who want all the same things as mom.)
10. Permanent Garden Marker: Okay, I have tried absolutely every so-called “permanent” marker on the market, from Sharpie Industrial to garden-specific pens that are meant to weather outdoor extremes, but all of them have faded or failed by the end of the season.
THIS is the only marker I’ve purchased that has withstood the harsh Central Oregon climate (through snow, rain, hail, and intense high-desert sun) for an entire year! Seriously, EVERY gardener needs one (or two) of these!
11. Weatherproof Steel Plant Markers: I go through a lot of white plastic plant markers in the garden, especially when I’m starting seeds.
But for staple crops and perennials (like bulbs and herbs), I prefer markers that are longer-lasting and more attractive, like these rust-proof, zinc-coated galvanized steel nameplates. Every gardener needs a set, if not two or more! Couple it with this super-strength permanent garden marker for true weatherproofness.
12. Mini Trowel: It looks like a child’s tool, but I assure you it’s not! This adorable mini trowel is actually more useful than it seems.
I typically use a spoon to scoop out seedlings, but this trowel (with its pointed tip and narrow blade) gets the job done faster and easier. The thick wooden handle fits nicely in the hand, too.
13. Dibblet Planting Tool: It looks like a carrot, but it’s actually a very useful planting tool for punching holes in the soil. My kids always fight over who gets to use this at home, so I ended up buying extras in case we lose one! The dibblets are also a hit at my daughter’s school, where we donated a couple to the garden.
It has a sturdy point but isn’t so sharp as to be dangerous, and comes with measurement lines so you can make just the right depth for your planting needs. This tool seems to go in and out of stock often, so keep an eye on it and snag one as soon as it’s available!
14. Ergonomic Oversized Scooper: This was a recent impulse buy for me, and I have to say, it was a good one! I often feel that trowels are just too small for some of my larger transplants, but I don’t necessarily want to break out the shovel.
That’s where this scooper comes in handy: Its wide, deep scoop can move a lot of soil with little effort, and the ergonomic handle prevents wrist strain after a day in the garden. Best of all, it’s very lightweight.
15. Botanical Gardener’s Soap: This is my new favorite hand soap! I love the gentle scrubbing action that gets dirt and sap off my hands, and it can even be used to exfoliate your body in the bath too.
There are no questionable microbeads or plastic in this soap either; the natural grit comes from chia seeds, strawberry seeds, and poppy seeds.
16. Ridiculously Rude Plants Mug: This cheeky mug is perfect for anyone who appreciates a bit of naughty horticultural humor.
With innocent illustrations for hilariously named plants like stiffcock, cuckold herb, and nipplewort, it’s sure to bring a smile to your favorite gardener’s face when they reach for that first cup of coffee in the morning.
17. Leafy Steel Bookmarks: This charming set of 4 bookmark clips makes a great gift for a houseplant-loving friend.
Made of etched steel, the collection includes Maranta leuconeura, Peperomia argyreia, Caladium bicolour, and Begonia maculata (one of my personal favorites).
18. Multi-Use Mason Jar Lids: You probably use mason jars for many other things besides canning, and if you do, you probably don’t love the two-part canning lid/ring combo that gets lost easily (or is just fussy to use).
What I like about these one-piece lids is they’re precision-engineered to fit standard Ball and Kerr canning jars, and there’s a gasket inside the lids that makes them leakproof and airtight. A must for every kitchen!
19. Wooden Mason Jar Lids: For a classier look, swap out those flimsy metal lids and rings on your mason jars for this custom-looking set of lids made from real acacia wood.
Careful, you might end up swapping all your kitchen cabinets for open shelving as well—all your canning jars will simply look too good to hide behind doors.
20. Airtight Wooden Mason Jar Lids: Yes, yes, I’m probably a little too obsessed with mason jars and lids, but I had to share this option as well if you’re looking to organize and beautify your pantry.
This classy set of wooden lids (made from acacia) differs from the style just above in that the lids simply pop on (instead of screw on). Same function of keeping your foods fresh, just a different look that you might prefer instead!
21. Plant-Based Food Wrap: Maybe you’ve seen those beeswax wraps around, well, these are the vegan alternative.
Made from organic cotton, organic coconut oil, tree resin, and plant-based wax, these reusable and washable wraps can replace some or all of the plastic cling wrap you use in the kitchen. I love the sweet botanical print too.
22. Garlic Rocker: If your favorite gardener is also an enthusiastic cook, this inventive gadget belongs in their kitchen.
What is it? A new type of garlic press: Set it on top of your cloves, push on the ends with your fingers, then rock back and forth to crush or mince the garlic quickly. It might seem like a silly tool at first, but if you need to mince more than a couple cloves, you’ll wish you had this sooner. $20
23. Vegetable Brush Set: Every vegetable gardener needs a fruit and vegetable brush, and this set comes with two handy styles for two different tasks.
Use one for all-purpose cleaning of everything from apples to zucchini, and use the other one to remove potato eyes and give your spuds a good scrub. It seems like a really simple gift, but sometimes simple is best. (And personally, I’ve gone through so many brushes and can always use more.) $13
24. Moisture Hand Pack: After a day (or week or season) of digging in the dirt, my hands need a lot of love.
This fancy-sounding hand mask is spa-like hydration in a glove and it’s a nice departure from the standard bath soap set people usually give when they think “self care.” I’d love to find this in my stocking along with a pretty hand cream. (Choose from all of the nourishing hand creams here.)
25. Fun Patterned Bandages: Cuts, splinters, and abrasions are all a normal part of gardening, but these flexible fabric bandages make them actually look… cool?!
I like the trendy patterns that don’t scream “kid” every time you think of patterned bandages, and you can repurpose the storage tin for other things in the bathroom or garden once it’s empty.
26. Natural Bug Spray: Having a good insect repellent is essential if you find yourself outdoors a lot, but it isn’t always so fun to slather yourself in smelly chemicals.
This one is different: It’s made of essential oils of citronella, lemongrass, lavender, and geranium for a non-toxic alternative to conventional bug spray.
View the Web Story on best stocking stuffers for gardeners.