When you are tucking in the garden for the year and daydreaming of next year’s bounty, consider the tools, the plants, and the fellow gardeners that make you happy. Take a moment to write down your thoughts—then allow me to add to your list! Every item featured here is something I adore or won’t or can’t live without.

Succulents Box Subscription

Succulents are all the rage, and for very good reason. They ask so little of us, yet they grow and grow without a lot of fuss. This is a subscription box for succulents. You can send one box or a subscription for several months. Select the type of succulent or air plant you’d like, the number of plants, and the number of months (unless it’s a one-time gift). This would be an excellent way to introduce a youngster to gardening. To purchase a subscription, click on the above link. To order gift boxes, click here.

Showa Atlas Nitrile Garden Gloves

Not too long ago, I did an unofficial, unscientific survey of seven very talented and obsessed gardener friends, asking them what kind of everyday garden gloves they use. The unanimous winner was the very affordable, colorful, flexible, washable, Showa Atlas Nitrile gloves! They are available in multiple colors and thin enough to get the job done. By the way, these make fine stocking stuffers!

A.M. Leonard Classic Stainless-Steel Soil Knife

Of course, I would be totally remiss if I did not share with you my favorite garden tool of all time: a soil knife. I give this one from A.M. Leonard to friends who are just taking up gardening, or to friends who don’t know what they are missing. I don’t go into the garden without it. I use it for weeding, scoring and loosening the roots of root-bound plants, edging flower beds, and planting bulbs. I can grip it easily, and it gives me more leverage than a garden trowel.

Regional Garden Books

These are the three gardening books I go to time and time again. The Undaunted Garden: Planting for Weather-Resilient Beauty by Lauren Springer is a beautiful book, with extensive plant lists. And no Rocky Mountain gardener should be without Pretty Tough Plants: 135 Resilient, Water-Smart Choices for a Beautiful Garden by Plant Select. It has detailed growing information for plants that do extremely well in our region. A new favorite on my shelf is Deer-Resistant Design: Fence-Free Gardens That Thrive Despite the Deer by Karen Chapman. You and your friends will appreciate Karen’s resourceful tips and tricks.

Gift Certificate to a Local Nursery or Membership to a Botanical Garden

Last but not least, if physical gifts are not your thing, or if you don’t know what someone already has, I  recommend a gift card to a locally owned garden center or a membership to your nearest and dearest botanical garden.

And remember, dear gifter, as Gertrude Jekyll once said, “The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies.”

—Mary Ann Newcomer is the author of two books: Rocky Mountain Gardener’s Handbook and Vegetable Gardening in the Mountain States.

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

Berry & Bird Rabbiting Spade, Trenching Shovel

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Ideal Tool for All Gardeners Use: Our heavy duty trenching shovel is designed by a professional gardening tool designer. Lifetime Durability: This heavy duty drain spade is made of high-quality stainless steel, it is very strong and durable, even if it is used for high-strength work, it will not bend. Ergonomic Wood Handle: The handle of this planting spade is made of ash hardwood harvested from FSC-certified forests and has an ergonomically streamlined design, making it very suitable for everyone's hands. Multi-Use: This digging shovel is generally used for digging trenches, digging holes, transplanting, edging, moving compost, cutting thick turf and furrowing. The sharp blade allows you to cut, scoop, dig, lift and dice in hard soil.

Buy at Amazon

Gardener's Log Book from NYBG

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers.

Buy at Amazon

A.M. Leonard Deluxe Soil Knife & Leather Sheath Combo

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

MULTITASKING DUAL EDGES: a deep serrated edge and a tapered slicing edge ideal for tough or delicate cuts. DURABLE 6-inch stainless steel blade withstands 300 lbs of pressure. TWINE CUTTING NOTCH, DEPTH GAUGE MARKINGS & spear point - no need to switch tools when using this garden knife. LEATHER SHEATH: heavy duty, protective, clip on sheath to keep your knife convenient and secure. LIFETIME WARRANTY.

Buy at Amazon