If you're a gardener, you probably love sharing plants and seeds with friends, but there are many other garden-themed gifts that you can share. Start now to make these unique and creative gifts for the holidays to come. Add a personal touch to your gift-giving with these DIY garden gift ideas.
Handmade gifts from the garden
I love giving gifts to loved ones and friends from my garden.
Because giving something from your garden to another gardening friend is truly a gift from the heart, don't you think?
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I've shared iris rhizomes, comfrey roots, walking onion bulblets and so many more plants with friends, but not at the holidays. They're good gifts for summer birthdays, but not in December.
Let's face it, our gardens aren't producing much in November and December if you're living in the northern hemisphere.
Depending on where you live, you might be fortunate enough to be able to garden year-round in your region. But here in my neck of the woods, not so much.
So if you'd love to get started now to make garden-crafted gifts, while your plants are lush and green and colorful with flowers, here are more than a dozen fun ideas for you.
Sharing seeds with gardening friends
The easiest and most obvious all-season gift from your garden is seeds.
Just gather some seeds from your favorite flowers or vegetable plants in season, put them in a cute printable seed packet, and give an assortment to a gardening friend.
Or, incorporate those seeds in a sheet of homemade seed paper. While this isn't as simple-and-easy as most of the other gift ideas in this list, it's certainly worth the effort. What a fun and enjoyable craft that in turn will give others some simple enjoyment, and flowers too!
I once received a birthday card made of seed paper from a dear friend. It was so charming, and yes, the seeds did sprout and grow. I even saved seeds from those flowers and had several seasons of blooms to remind me of our friendship.
Gifts from your garden for non-gardeners
But what if you need a gift for a special friend or family member who isn't a gardener?
You're in luck! Here are some ideas for your non-gardening friends too. Using flowers, vegetables and herbs, you're sure to find a gift idea for everyone on your list.
Culinary herbs
If you grow an herb garden or even just a few herbs in pots, dry the herbs for a culinary herb basket. Here's how to dry and store your homegrown herbs.
Fill empty spice jars or little Mason jars with your dried herbs and attach some cute labels. If you have trouble getting those old spice labels off the jars, sometimes nail polish remover works. Or purchase a set of small matching spice jars here.
Basil, rosemary, thyme and oregano grow so abundantly in my garden that I usually have more than I can use in a year, so I always have jars of these dried herbs to gift to others.
Several little jars of dried herbs in a small basket with a pretty kitchen towel would be a lovely gift for someone who loves to cook.
Seasoning salt
Turn your bounty of green onions, spring onions, or scallions into a simple seasoning salt! This easy recipe takes minimal effort and will make ordinary dishes taste gourmet.
Wouldn't this green onion salt would be a great addition to that little basket of dried herbs above?
Onion, garlic and cayenne powders
Onion powder is easy to make from scratch. You can use the same general directions to make garlic powder.
Here's how to make cayenne pepper powder for your friends' spice cabinet too.
Jams and jellies and homemade bread
Jams and jellies from your kitchen are always welcome gifts, especially when paired with a loaf of homemade bread or a bread mix with a new bread pan. (That link will take you to the pans that I have and love.)
Amazon even has a cast iron bread pan if your recipient loves cast iron.
My favorite recipes for jams and jellies are Spiced Caramel Pear Jam, Triple Berry Jam and Harvest Apple Jelly. You'll find the recipes in this post on how to make fruit juice for jelly.
Lilac syrup
For an extra special gift, a jar of lilac syrup would be lovely. You can find the directions at SoulyRested. Just imagine a bowl of vanilla ice cream topped with lilac syrup!
Lavender sugar
Another great way to preserve your lavender buds is to make this easy homemade lavender sugar.
Your friends will have fun using this sweet lavender-flavored sugar in baking, teas, and more. Or maybe you'll want to do the baking and let your friends simply enjoy the light lavender flavor in some delightful cookies or other baked goods.
Rose petal jelly
I always thought that roses were fussy and hard to grow, but I've learned that they are pretty easy and I love having a vase of roses on my desk all summer long.
You can use any variety of rose petals for this sweet treat, as long as they are organic. In other words, don't use roses from the florist shop, or that you know have been sprayed. Roses from your own garden are perfect.
Wild roses, garden roses, knock-out roses - whatever variety of rose that you grow will work, as long as you don't spray them. The color of your jelly will vary with the type and color of the rose petals.
Gather rose petals and craft some small jars of rose petal jelly, rose water, rose petal tea or even rose petal beads for a necklace for your best friend (or yourself).
Dandelion salve to soothe tired, achy joints
If you have a lawn full of dandelions, you can make dandelion salve. This salve soothes tired, achy hands (and knees too), and moisturizes at the same time.
Potpourri and sachets with herbs and flowers
Sachets made with herbs and flowers from your garden are another lovely little gift. Your recipient can tuck them into drawers to give clothes and linens a fresh scent, or add them to the hangers with their favorite clothes.
You'll find the easy directions to make sachets here.
Or use apple cores and peels, dried berries, flower buds and other fragrant things in a batch of simmering potpourri to give your friends and family the gift of fragrance from your garden.
Catnip mice
Catnip mice are simple to sew from scraps of fabric or felt. You don't even need a sewing machine, although the example in this post was sewn using one.
Stuff with some fiberfill and a bit of dried catnip from your garden for the cat-lovers in your life.
Grapevine wreath
If you're fortunate enough to have access to grapevines, you can make a lovely grapevine wreath from the pruned vines.
Lavender wands
If you're fortunate enough to have an abundance of lavender in your garden, make lavender wands with these directions.
Bath salts
Bath salts are a quick and easy-to-make gift. Here are directions for making lavender bath salts and pine bath salts.
Santa ornaments from okra pods
If you're growing okra, save some of those pods to make these cute Santa ornaments, especially the big ones that got away from you!
No matter what interests your friends and family members, at least one of the items on this list of suggestions should be just right - or at least spark an idea you can work on.
Start crafting with materials from your garden now, while your garden is in full swing, and you'll soon have perfect gifts ready for any occasion.
For more elegantly-frugal ideas, subscribe to The Acorn, Oak Hill Homestead's weekly-ish newsletter, and receive a free copy of my ebook How to Make Vinegar for Pennies.
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