Present ideas for the green-fingered

As the festive season approaches, Hannah Stephenson checks out what Christmas gifts are in store for gardeners

A garden always needs something new – which makes finding a gift this Christmas that little bit easier.

You don’t have to go big – a few pretty plant labels in, say, slate or terracotta, a selection of seeds to keep them busy in the New Year, some stationery with fruit or veg patterns or simply a new pair of secateurs to help them through spring pruning may go down well.

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There’s a plethora of personalised gifts for the gardener – check out www.gettingpersonal.com for a selection of calendars, diaries, crates and even shed signs that can be personalised to feature the recipient’s name.

If you’re looking to replace bog standard basics with more stylish ones, consider a new watering can and matching plant pots from Fallen Fruits, which offers a pretty patterned set of a can and three plant pots for £20 (www.qvcuk.com or phone 0800 50 40 30).

Burgon & Ball also has stylish new ranges of forks, trowels, kneelers and other accessories, endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society. I particularly like the Chrysanthemum pattern, taken from the striking illustration of Chrysanthemum ‘Karashishi’ by the Japanese artist K Hasegawa, dating from 1891 and taken from the RHS’s Lindley Library.

The trowel and fork come in a beautiful printed box, featuring painted handles printed with the RHS logo and an engraving of the Gertrude Jekyll quote, ‘The love of gardening is a seed once sown, that never dies’ on the body of the trowel.

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Priced £19.95, they’re available from all good garden centres, RHS plant centres and www.burgonandball.com.

Gardeners who want to match their stylish new tools may want to chuck out their old wellies in favour of some natty new Kew Sprig ankle wellies from Cath Kidston.

They don’t just look good, they are snug too, whether on the allotment, trudging through the snow or on their way to a summer festival.

Made of rubber with a cotton inner, priced £35 in sizes 4-8, for stockist details visit www.cathkidston.com.

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For new vegetable gardeners Mr Fothergill’s Get Growing range of seeds (£1.60 - £3.15) and kits, including herb pots (£1.49), starter collection boxes (£8.49) and mini windowsill propagator kits (£3.29) will make ideal stocking-fillers. For details go to www.mr-fothergills.co.uk.

For those who might want to attract wildlife to their garden, tell them to put the new BeeMat on their Christmas list.

It’s a biodegradable, pre-seeded growing mat containing mixed flower seeds which aim to attract bees, including verbena, Californian poppy and borage among other varieties, and is available to plant from spring.

As well as providing colour, the mat will also suppress weeds. For stockists visit www.beemat.com or call 01476 530374.

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A new collection of solar powered metal silhouette animals (above) including an elephant, horse, hare, peacock, duck, swan, pheasant, heron and cockerel cast both light and interesting shadows at night.

Each contains an integral solar panel that powers a rechargeable battery that lights either a white LED or a colour changing LED at night.

Ranging in price from £24.99 to £39.99, they are available from most leading garden centres. For details go to www.smartsolar.com.

Those who want to attract real wildlife into their garden can do so with a striking new Echoes bird bath from Suttons, a sturdy glazed ceramic piece in shades of dusky pink, brown and green, with matching feet. the first verse of William Blake’s Auguries of Innocence is inscribed around the edge.

(£24.99, www.suttons.co.uk/christmas or 0844 922 0606)