Last minute shopping for gardeners

I saw a post last Friday where someone said they were going shopping for last-minute gifts and I guffawed. Amateur! I am a skilled last-minute shopper and I can’t think of a year when I didn’t wrap at least one gift on Christmas day. So I know a little something about last-minute shopping and the first thing I know is that we’re just entering last-minute territory if you’re shopping for Christmas.

I do the majority of my last-minute shopping locally, and not just because you can find really interesting things, but also because shipping gets a little scary this time of year. But if you have no time shopping, here are a few things you can pick up online with a gardening bent. I’d say order sooner rather than later. You’ll be so proud of yourself at 10 p.m. Christmas Eve when you’re finishing up your wrapping.

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1. I have this Haws brass watering wand and it’s not only pretty but has a great water stream. You know how some water breakers flatten plants? Not this one. Lends itself to creative wrapping too.

2. It may not be glamorous but any gardener will tell you you can’t have enough tub trugs. Don’t worry about wrapping this one, just stick the rest of the presents inside of it!

3. Ch-ch-chia! If you are of a certain age you will never forget the chia pet jingle. There was a time where a Christmas in which someone didn’t get a chia pet was basically a huge flop. Here’s the 2017 version of a chia pet. Because everyone needs a poop emoji chia pet. Seriously though, there’s a 10-year-old budding gardener out there who will go bonkers for this.

4. Anyone who loves a little tech with their gardening will appreciate this fancy new Aerogarden. As far as I can figure, you just click on the screen and tell the stuff to grow and it does. Or something like that.

5. Speaking of techy gifts, here’s one I really like. Gardening doesn’t always (um … rarely) require a high-tech solution but watering is one place where it makes a lot of sense. This water timer controls four zones and is controllable with a smartphone or through Alexa.

6. I might be stretching it with a gardening connection here, but the whole world is raving about Instapots, so they must be pretty great. Big sales to be found on these.

7. This simple mini greenhouse is perfect for just about any gardener. There’s enough room for about four flats of plants, so good for seed starting or hardening off plants in spring. I used this one for ages until I upgraded to this one.

8. This raised garden bed would be a great gift. Throw in some seeds, a trowel and a pair of gardening gloves and this will look like you planned this months ago.

9. A pretty herb drying rack like this doubles as decor. Just imagine how pretty it will be with bunches of drying herbs on it.

If none of that seems right, consider a gift certificate to an independent garden center near your favorite gardener. One of the true crimes of nature is that Christmas falls outside of gardening season for most of us in North America. I bet in the southern hemisphere everyone just gives plants. My point is, I don’t know a gardening who wouldn’t appreciate the opportunity to buy themselves a plant come spring.

And there are a few items from my original gift guide that you can still pick up in time for Christmas so check that out too.