A big Christmas List

Print this out. Forward it to a last minute shopper.

With Christmas approaching on the rolling horizon, I am thrilled to be asked for gift requests. Who doesn’t like writing a ‘want’ list? I’m often asked about my tools and the best suppliers for materials I use on the plots.  Well, here it is. Not the boring ‘water pipe’ or ‘re-bar’ for hoops but the important essential things that we all want really.

Here is a list of tools and items I use everything together with some others that would make great stocking fillers (plus one or two that won’t fit by the tree) for the gardener or aesthete in your life. Or just for you, if you needed permission, here it is.

#1 is to gift a subscription to Floral Notes…otherwise for the gardener who has one already…

In no particular order, and for every budget -

I’ve had Niwaki snips for cutting flowers for years now but I kept using crappy secateurs because I don’t really use them a lot or lose them. I borrowed a friends and blimey. Never going back. These are brilliant and very reasonable. Do not wait 20 years until buying yourself decent secateurs!

Whilst you are at it, check out my other two essentials from Niwaki, gloves and a Hori hori knife. They really are worth the hype. I hardly use a trowel now or anything else to plant or weed with. And the gloves are the closest thing to not wearing any at all.

For writing your garden dairy, journal or just lists, I love both Leuchtturm and Cambridge Imprint slim notebooks because one is never enough together with a bright yellow Lamy fountain pen. Make writing a joy and flex those texting thumbs back into something altogether more beautiful.

For outdoor wear, I recommend one of these fisherman’s slops from the Carrier Company. I have had mine for 14 odd years and it get’s better with age. Knowing how good they are, I am sure i’d love one of their jumpers, trousers and jackets. I’d like to be sponsored by them!

For the best gift of all, great compost , I recommend using a compost thermometer and adding a pinch of the Land Gardeners Climate Compost (in fact their books make great presents too).

For reading by the woodburner this winter, make sure you have one of these to plan your growing - the essential calendar and my favourite plant book sipping on tea. Maybe with a slice of this.

After any winter’s afternoon in the garden, there is nothing like a long hot bath at the end of the day. Get a ‘care’ kit in the way of epsom salts to relax tired muscles and oils to revive. (Bath water sans oils can be saved and used as a reviving feed for your garden plants - especially good for replacing magnesium for yellowing leaves.)

And for next year, I can’t think of anything better than lulling away summer’s day’s in one of these.

I hope there is some good ideas there for you (or to forward to a loved one, hint hint).

Is there something on your wish list I need to add to mine?