Every year, I try to find creative ways to share with the gardeners in my life. But it’s often difficult to know what to give. I love the little kits you can buy to give as gifts, but they’re not very personal. So this year I’m making my own garden gift kits to give to friends and family.
So what is a Garden Gift Kit? It’s a combination gift that includes a few items related to a theme. A gift kit is a thoughtful way of giving helpful supplies to a gardener. Let me show you how easy it is to make your own Garden Gift Kit.
You can make a general gift kit or you can tailor the gift to the specific gardener. If you’re making a bunch of these, then the general kit is easier to make.
To make your garden gift kit, start with a theme. Here are some ideas to get you started…
- General Garden
- Herb Garden
- Flower Garden
- Vegetable Garden
- Gardener’s Hand Care
- Tool Kit
- Dahlia Garden
- Indoor Garden
- Relax on the Porch
- Garden Party
How to Create Garden Gift Kits…
After you’ve decided on a theme, you’ll want to select the items to go into the gift. While I include a lot of ideas here, these kits don’t have to be massive. You can make them as large or small as you want.
To make your kit, select one or more items from the lists below. Start with the container and then fill it with a selection of the following items.
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Step 1: Choose a Container
Rather than just put all the items in a box or basket, I like to choose a container that’s part of the gift. I try to choose a container that actually relates to the gift I’m giving. This list of containers will give you some ideas…
- Floppy Garden Hat– You can tuck a number of small items into an upturned garden hat.
- Flower Pot- A terracotta, ceramic or resin flower pot can hold a variety of garden items.
- Photo Box Organizer– A craft box organizer is the perfect container to hold seed packets.
- Wooden or Metal Toolbox- These boxes can hold an abundance of garden tools and supplies.
- Harvest Basket– Wide-handled baskets are perfect for gathering herbs, flowers or produce.
- Metal Tin- Bread boxes, popcorn tins, metal canisters make good containers for gift-giving.
- Garden Urn– Whether a reproduction or the real thing, urns are great for using in the garden.
- Wicker Basket- not just for picnics. These are perfect for giving to the gardener who likes to entertain.
- Garden Boots– you need to know their foot size for these containers.
- Vintage Garden Containers- a vintage watering can, for example.
- Bird Bath- A small porcelain or metal bird bath makes a fun container.
Step 2: Select Reading Material
Whenever I give a gift kit, I like to include some type of reading material related to the gift. Most often, that is a book about the topic. However, it could also be a garden magazine, a garden-related novel, or a garden journal.
Step 3: Include Related Gift Items
This is where you can get creative with your gift. Include several things that relate to the garden theme you chose. For example, if you’re giving a general garden gift kit, this could be a new pair of garden pruners, a pair of garden gloves, and a small plant. For a flower growing kit, you could include a bundle of flower seed packets, a container of flower fertilizer, and plant labels.
Once you think of your gift theme, ideas for items to include will be easier to come up with. You can also look at garden supply websites, box stores such as Home Depot and even search Amazon for ideas.
Here’s a short list of items to choose from…
- Gloves
- Hand pruners, spade, or other tool
- Flower scented candle
- Lotion or hand cream
- Kneeling pad
- Gift card from a garden center or local nursery
- Garden flag
- Seed packets
- Indoor bulbs such as paper whites
- Solar lights
Step 4: Add a Food Item
Consider including a food or beverage that relates to the gift. For the herb gardener, you might include a box of herbal tea. For the flower gardener, maybe include a container of lavender cookies. The vegetable garden kit might contain a packet of soup seasonings. The garden entertaining gift could include homemade soup and a loaf of bread.
Step 5: Enhance With a Gift Tag
Once you’ve put your gift together, you’ll want to label the gift. I like to include a related item as part of the tag. It could be a small ornament, a decorative item, a tag decorated with dried flowers or a small garden sign.
Here Are Some Sample Garden Gift Kits …
I created a few sample garden gift kits for you to see how this all fits together. Each garden kit doesn’t need to contain everything to be special.
Seed Storing Kit
This gift contains …
- A Photo Storage Box for seed packets
- A Seed Puzzle
- Seed Packets
- Watering Can Ornament
Garden Tool Kit
This gift contains…
- Garden Rake
- A Spade and Garden Fork
- Garden Gloves
- Note Tablet
- Seed Packets
- Red Boots Ornament
Flower Garden Kit
This gift contains…
- A Garden Calendar
- Two Decorative Buckets
- A Variety of Bulbs
- A Lavender-scented Candle
- Mason Jar Lids for holding flower stems in place
- Floral Hand Towel
Herb Garden Kit
This gift contains…
- Vintage Metal Breadbox
- Bag of Potting Mix
- Herbal Magazine
- Herb Napkins,
- Garden Spade and Weeder
- Chamomile Tea
- Seed Packets
- Lavender Hand Towel
- Faux Sprig of Lavender
Tips for Making Your Gift Kits…
Cost
Once you get started creating kits, you’ll want to keep on making them. The biggest concern is the cost. Because you’re including multiple items, the cost can add up. But these gift kits don’t have to be expensive. To help keep the cost down, try these suggestions…
- Look through the clearance section at garden centers and garden websites.
- Buy a bundle pack of items and separate them for multiple gifts.
- Make some of your gift items, such as Rhubarb Strawberry Scones and herbal teas.
- Repurpose items such as that vintage watering can or a vintage bread box.
- Create your own seed packets to include in the gift.
- Make a smaller version of the kit, such as this mini-flower gift that contains some bulbs and a plant in a decorative bucket.
Packaging
Wrapping your gift is half the fun of giving a gift kit. However, when you’re adding multiple items into a container, it takes a little finesse to get everything placed. First, line your gift container with a piece of fabric or a hand towel. Decorative tissue paper also works great as a liner or use a layer of filler in the container.
Start with the largest item and place it toward the back of the container. Next, add several medium-sized items in front of the largest item. Now tuck in smaller items around the initial items. Sometimes, you might need to use tissue paper underneath an item to help lift it higher in the display. It’s also nice to have something hanging down from the container, such as your gift tag.
Experiment with the placement of items until you like the arrangement of everything. Then you can wrap the gift with clear cellophane. If your gift is too large to wrap, just attach a bow along with your tag. Most of the time, my gifts are too large or awkwardly shaped to wrap with cellophane, but it does look nice and it keeps everything contained.
Pre-made Gift Kits
If you don’t have the time or desire to create a gift kit, you can also purchase a garden gift kit. Here are some complete garden gift kits to purchase.
Creating one-of-a-kind gifts for your friends and family is fun and easy to do. All it takes is a little extra thought in planning your gift.
If you have a lot of gardeners in your life, consider starting early to plan and purchase items to go into the garden gift kit. It will thrill your favorite gardeners to get one of your garden gift kits.
