Gifts that gardeners REALLY want. Plus: easy November container designs
Discover must-have garden tools, seasonal planting inspiration, and two simple container designs to bring colour to your November garden
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We’re properly in November and the autumn colours are just perfect
Have you noticed just how glorious the colours are this year? Instead of whipping the autumn-painted leaves off the branches, the November winds have held off for now, allowing us to bask in the season’s coffees, toffees and caramels.
I cannot believe it’s Stir-Up Sunday1 next weekend - time to make the Christmas pudding, and the Christmas cake if you can be bothered. I’m busy gathering together the ingredients as there already seems to be a national shortage of currants - can anyone tell me why?
And the Small Garden Design course is already in its fourth week - you can start it at any time, and you can find the latest update and links to all previous sessions here.
An enormous thank you for all your contributions to the request for suggestions for gifts that gardeners really want: I’ve had a delve into your suggestions, added to them and put it all together. There’s also a handy pdf of the list for you to print out and leave lying around casually, or of course to supply with clear and honest intent 😀
There are two easy container planting designs to bring colour in November. I can’t underline quite how simple these are to create
Easy planting designs for winter containers
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Forget flowery but useless gloves, signs saying ‘I’m in the garden’ and novelty plant labels that look beautiful but which are illegible after a few months out in the garden. This is the gift guide that you, the real gardeners, have asked for. There’s a fab range here: from heritage British-made essentials and clever innovations that make gardening easier, from a slug-beating mulch to the hand-forged tool that Japanese gardeners swear by, I reckon this year's gift guide has you covered.
These are the gifts that Gardening Mind subscribers are asking for this Christmas; please let me know in the comments if you have any more suggestions and I’ll add them to the list:
Remember, there are no paid ads here: it’s just what we’ve tested and what we like: