Gifts for gardeners in the UK

Tools first

Most UK gardeners already own a trowel. Most of those trowels are bent, rusty or a freebie from a garden centre. A decent replacement is the safest gift on this list, which is why the Burgon & Ball trowel and fork set is our top pick. It comes boxed, the heads are stainless, and the handles are hardwood. Keep it in the shed, though. Painted handles chip if the tools spend the winter in a border.

Secateurs are the other tool that wears out. The Sarah Raven pair is a sensible everyday choice for deadheading and small shrubs. For heavy pruning of old roses or fruit trees, they will want something sturdier, and they probably already know which brand.

Knees, hands and weather

A Kneelo is the gift older gardeners thank you for in March. It is foam in a wipe-clean cover and nothing more, so it does not help anyone get back up. If that is the real problem, a kneeler with handles is a better buy from a garden centre.

Hands take a beating from cold soil and wet gloves. Washable Sarah Raven gloves, a pot of Haeckels balm or the Neal's Yard hand cream all get used. The Trekmates hat sounds odd on a gardening list until you remember how much British gardening happens in drizzle.

For the gardener who now mostly watches

Some gardeners do less digging than they used to and more looking out of the window. A bird feeder suits them. The Bird Barn hangs from a branch or bracket; the Dewdrop sticks to the glass so the birds come right up to the armchair. Neither comes with food, so add a bag of seed.

A National Trust joint membership is the big gift here. It gives a retired couple a year of gardens to visit together. It only covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and it is only good value if they go regularly.

Timing

A Christmas gift for a UK gardener lands in the dead season. Tools, gloves and a kneeler will wait in the shed until spring, which is fine; say so on the card. Indoor gifts like the Haws watering can for houseplants or the crochet plant kit can be used straight away. Handmade prints and anything made to order need extra time in the post in December, so order those first.

Questions people ask

What is a good gift for a UK gardener who has everything?

Replace something worn out with a better version, or give something that gets used up. Most gardeners have tired gloves or a bent trowel. A good hand cream also goes quickly in winter. For a gardener who truly needs nothing, a National Trust membership gives them other people's gardens to enjoy all year, if they live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.