Have you noticed all of the teddy bears and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates donning the shelves of your local supermarket lately? Valentine’s Day is somehow just around the corner! If your sweetheart is a gardener, we have some alternative ideas to try that they will appreciate way more than a teddy or bouquet of roses. These are some of the best gardening gifts of all time to give the green thumb in your life.
A New Set of Garden Tools
If your special someone likes to spend a ton of time in the garden, then they will most definitely appreciate a shiny new set of hand tools—even if they already own them! Hand tools are one of the best gifts for gardening because gardeners use them regularly.
Having back-ups, or a set of trowels, garden knives, weeders, and the like for different areas of the garden means that our prized tools will last for a little bit longer, and if we happen to break one of them by accident, there’s no need to run out to the garden center right away to buy more. Trust us; to the gardener in your life, they will exude romance.
Veggie Starters
One of the perks of living in SoFlo is that we can garden for 12 months of the year, and winter is the perfect time to get cool-season fruits and veggies in the ground. February is the last month to plant things like lettuce, eggplant, spinach, cucumbers, and tomatoes for a late spring harvest.
If your partner has been talking about getting their winter veggie garden going but hasn’t quite gotten around to it yet, they’ll be smiling from ear to ear if you help make it happen! Consider throwing in a frost blanket as well so they can cover up their new little plant babies in the event of a late-season frost.
Bedding Plants or Bulbs
Rather than gifting cut flowers, why not bring home some bedding plants or flower bulbs instead so they can watch your love grow all season long? Lobelia, dianthus and verbena all tend to fare well in our mild winters here in South Florida. Or, if you prefer to take the bulb route, consider picking up some agapanthus or crinum!
Organic fertilizers include natural byproducts, like bone meal, manure, and fish emulsion. They contain essential nutrients necessary for plant development and are incredibly beneficial for improving your soil’s moisture retention and overall quality. However, the nutrients are released more slowly than synthetic fertilizers, and they are less concentrated, so you need to use more to get the same effect as synthetic formulas.
A Romantic Houseplant
There are a few different houseplants that are trending for 2022 and some that symbolize romance. If you’re on the hunt for something trendy, consider picking up a hoya or a plant that inspires a little bit of relaxation in your sweetheart’s home, like a bonsai tree or an agave.
Houseplants that say ‘Valentine’s’ a little more than others include the string of hearts, which is beautiful when placed in a boho-style macrame hanger. Get a String of Pearls plant if you want an alternative to the traditional jewelry route!
A Water Fountain
Fountains are often one of those items that many gardeners would love to have but aren’t necessarily willing to splurge on for themselves, which makes them one of the best gardening gifts on the market! There are so many varieties of garden fountains. Whether your special someone is into minimalism, Zen gardening, or big, bright, bold colors, you’ll undoubtedly be able to find a garden fountain to fit their particular taste and style.
A Gardening Journal
There is something heartwarming about receiving a journal as a gift, regardless of the holiday. However, this won’t be just any journal; it can be a place where your loved one can keep track of things like:
- What they plant and where they plant them
- What performs well in their garden and what doesn’t
- Light patterns
- Weather patterns
- Fertilizer schedules
- Anything else they want to remember about their garden!
If this is a practice that they already carry out in their garden, they are sure to appreciate some crisp new pages to write on once their existing journal is complete. If the journal is something new to them, you can include a little note at the beginning of the journal to explain the concept!
These are just a few romantic gardening gift ideas to try instead of roses this Valentine’s Day! If you need more inspiration, stop by Living Color Garden Center to check out our extensive collection of garden supplies, statues, pots, containers and more.