If you have even an occasional gardener on your gift list, supplying the right item can inspire a deeper, more satisfying outdoor experience. I know I appreciate a thoughtful gardening gift, and never failed with handing one over. 

I’ve personally tested every product I’m about to recommend, and some of them had breakthrough benefits.

​Consider these options:

Best planting tool:
​Radius Garden’s Rootslayer 22011 shovel 

Serious gardeners/landscapers probably already have a favorite tool—one regularly stashed in their aprons, pockets, wheelbarrows or gripped tightly in their gloved hands. I thought I did, until I gave this 5-pound marvel a try on a full-southern-sun, high-humidity, 100° day, and OH MY WORD…it was a real game-changer.

The multi-purpose, jagged-edge design not only rips through roots, it also plows through compacted clay and dirt, easily trenches for planting, and saws the soil contents with precision…eliminating the need for a separate hatchet, saw, spade, or smooth-sided shovel. And, hello carbon-steel teeth. Whoa! I mean, the tool designers call it an “assassin shovel” for a reason, folks.

Radius Garden sells a series of Root Slayer products—trowel, soil knife, edger, mini-digger, drain spade, weeder, post hole digger—and most of them will wind up in my tool stash, I assure you. But start off your gardener/landscaper with the 22011, and inspire their inner ground assassin…which would look great on the gift tag, right?

Best power tool: 
​Zeeksaw’s Mini, Cordless, Super Handheld Chainsaw 

This little battery-powered saw is a wonder! Its 6” blade cuts clean through those dead tree limbs too thick for a typical lopper and too small for a full-sized chainsaw.  It’s lightweight (less than 2 lbs!), powerful, and suitable for right- and left-handers.

A major plus is the portable toolbox holding everything you need—saw, batteries, charger, gloves, safety glasses, oil vessel…they’ve thought of everything. Their motto of “tree-pruning made easy” is spot on.

Tap into your gardener’s inner lumberjack with this mini-tool. It’s the most user-friendly chainsaw I’ve ever powered up!

Best water timer: 
​Aqua Joe’s AJ-ET2Z Easy 2-Zone Electronic Timer 

When it’s peak watering season, the last thing I want to do is run out into 100° heat and move hoses—and that’s why I set two zones in my backyard garden oasis with the Aqua Joe timer.

This no-fuss system connects right to the outdoor tap, handles two separate hoses, and offers 13 preset programs. BUT, you can set your own watering duration and frequency to customize particular zones. Either way, it’s a “set it and forget it” beauty to let you sleep in, stay cool, and enjoy your gardens from air-conditioned comfort. And that’s an irrigation win!

Best yard waste container: 
​Fiskars’ Kangaroo Collapsible Garden Bag with Heavy Duty Hardshell Bottom 

This 30-gallon reusable container is an upgrade from Fiskars’ previous model, with the hardshell bottom a significant improvement. I mean, I’ve bumped this garden bag over sharp rocks, tree roots, clumps of clay, and garden utensils without noticeable damage. I’ve left it outside in pouring rain, and the drain holes have done their job. Bonus: The fabric is mildew-resistant!

When gardening season is over, I clean it out, collapse it back to a 22” disc, and store it away for an early spring. It’s simply ideal for yard waste. Buy it!

Best hand/nail saver: 
​Gardena’s Latex Gardening Gloves 

I’ve tested a LOT of gardening gloves over the years and always return to Gardena’s brand. The latex-coated palm and fingers make them water-resistant, if not waterproof. Bonus: The latex stops most thorns from a painful stab.

I enjoy the color variety in the five pairs, the stretchability, and endurance—even through a few machine washes! Great product for the price.

Best foot/pedicure saver: 
​DKSUKO’s Waterproof Garden Shoe 

Truth bomb: You will never, EVER see me in a Croc. Not even privately. They are a trip-hazard for klutzy gardeners like me, and I find them…less than attractive. However, the flip-flop got me into so much gardening trouble I had to find another option. Hello, garden clog!

I found the DKSUKO brand surprisingly comfortable for a rubber shoe. They’re lightweight, non-slip, basically waterproof (except the heel), and offer some needed support.  They’re easy to clean and come in a variety of fun designs. Pro Tip: Order at least a half-size larger than your normal shoe size for the best fit.

Best no-fail, easy-to-use plant fertilizer: 
​Miracle-Gro’s 1013202 Watering Can Singles 

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve recommended these pre-measured fertilizer packets to self-described “lazy gardeners.” Plants need to be “fed” just like any growing thing, but they’re often starved due to fertilizer-to-water ratios, measuring utensils, math skills, trifocals to read the tiny print, etc.

All those excuses go out the window with these convenient packets. If you have a watering can—or even a gallon jug—you simply dump the packet’s ingredients into the bottom, fill it with water, and feed your potted plants or 10 square feet of garden space every 1-2 weeks. No measurements or guessing or messes or excuses. Let the feeding begin!

Best garden sign: 
Whitehall Products’ "The Kiss of The Sun" Garden Sign 

I gifted this sign to a fellow gardener, but loved it so much I bought one for myself! I appreciate Dorothy Frances Gurney’s classy, poetic sentiment in such a sturdy, well-made piece of garden art. It brings a wonderful sense of sophistication amongst my hydrangeas. 

The green-and-gold plaque boasts an alumi-shield, all-weather coating for harsh weather that—so far!—withstands the tests of time and environmental elements. Gift a touch of meaningful sentiment in your gardeners’ landscapes with this beloved poem. Beautiful!

Best nature calendar: 
National Audubon Society’s Birds Calendar 2025  

A dear friend gifted me this delightful calendar many years ago, and now I gift myself with it each year! Every morning, I look forward to discovering a new bird from anywhere in the world—many I never knew existed. I appreciate the common and scientific names, the up-close, full-color photos, and the ability to use the reverse side as notepaper. Bonus: No binoculars required!

Best outdoor furniture saver: 
​VARIETYFACE’s Waterproof Patio Chair Covers 

​I stumbled across these chair covers online and opted for the lightweight fabric over heavy canvas. Boy, was I delighted with the water-resistant, UV-resistant material!

These covers have powered through heavy rain/snow, blowing cement/stone dust, gusting wind, and brutal southern sun. No fading, discoloration or cracking! A true delight is the adjustable hem cords for a custom fit because—hello!—patio chairs are so varied in size. Bonus: Buckle straps keep the covers securely in place when the wind picks up. Lightweight covers + dry furniture = patio win.

Poet Robert Frost was onto something in 1914 when he wrote: “Good fences make good neighbours.”

Sage advice.

I started the “good neighbor” trend between neighbors to the Northeast and Northwest by planting trios of Green Giant arborvitae/thuja to naturally “box in” my backyard. These dense, fluffy, fast-growing trees make magnificent privacy fences year round, shading the deck in brutal, southern-summer heat and looking postcard perfect with dustings of Christmas snow. ​

When one neighbor installed a garish orange-red wooden fence several years ago, I was beyond thankful the Green Giants would block that view in a single growing year. With a mature height of 50-60 feet and spread of 12-20 feet, these deer-resistant beauties “fluff out” in a way that makes the backyard feel like a secret garden, whilst providing wild-life hiding places. They are truly magical. 

Buy the largest starter you can afford, then plant in a well-spaced row or alternate in V-shapes for a thicker hedge. With visible growth of 3 or more feet/year, you’ll want to companion-plant trees at quite a distance or wait to install until your arborvitae’s mature growth is achieved.

As summer winds down, gardeners start itching to do something other than water, water, water. And, maybe, water. There’s a need to tidy up, move things around, plant something new. But hold on, anxious gardeners. You might just be on the verge of making a big garden mistake. For instance:

It could be way too early to…

• Plant spring bulbs. Yes—bulbs are in stores, calling your name, enticing you with their pictures of cheerful pastel blooms. But the ground is still too warm right now in most garden zones. Plant too early and they will sprout before the first freeze. Think: mid-to-late October for zones 4/5, November for zones 6-8.
• Trim back trees and shrubs. While you can cut away broken, dead or diseased branches at any time, major pruning is a terrible idea right now. Why? Pruning stimulates new growth, and that beautiful growth will shrivel up and die in a snap freeze or even dramatic temperature drops. The best time to seriously prune is late-winter/early-spring. 
• Move blooming perennials. While early-fall is usually a great time to divide and/or transplant your perennials, you can sap energy and do serious damage to blooming—especially ever-blooming—shrubs. Instead, wait several weeks past their last blooms, or even until they’ve gone dormant.
  
  

Do some research before you…

• Buy trees and shrubs for the wrong garden zones. Hardiness zones are essential for growing plants in your geographic area. Your climate may be too cold or even too warm for something you see in a magazine, so go local. A nearby garden center will probably carry perennials for your zone, but an online grower has plants that will prefer Michigan weather to Louisiana. Know exactly what zone you live in by typing in your ZIP code on the US Department of Agriculture website. 
• Plant perennials in the wrong sun/shade areas. Trees die and grow, buildings come down or go up, and the sun shifts in the sky throughout the seasons. All of those situations change the amount of sun or shade your new perennials will need to survive and flourish. Think two seasons ahead to determine if those hostas or hydrangeas will fry in full sun, or young roses will peter out in deep shade.

So just gather some important details before you attack that fall garden to-do list. Your plants will reward you for it next spring and summer. 

We’re officially in that time of the growing season when perennial shrubs are looking a little…tired. And roses probably look the worst. Time to prune!

​But it’s hot, you say. And it’s humid. And I don’t want to make things worse. Fear not! Late-August to mid-September are excellent times to get in a healthy prune. With the right tools and techniques, you can convince those beauties to flush new growth and finish the gardening season strong.

Just follow these steps:

1. Clean and sharpen your pruners. Gardening tools can carry diseases—like black spot and fungus—from plant to plant, so wiping them down with disinfectant (like Clorox’s bleach-free wipes) is essential. Then check your blades for sharpness, and you’re ready to go!
2. Wear long sleeves and gloves. Most roses have prickly elements to them. They’re a defense mechanism against deer, rabbits, squirrels and…you! If you prepare for that, you won’t leave your pruning session looking like you tussled with a playful kitten.
3. Prune in the evening. As the sun starts to set and the temperature drops, both you and the shrubs will appreciate the breather. The rose canes will begin the healing process overnight and be ready to take on that late-summer sun by morning.
4. Find the 5-leaflet leaves. Roses have 3-and 5-patterns of leaf-growth. For a light prune, trim just above the first set of 5-leaflets. For a harder prune, go back to the third set of 5-leaflets. The recovery will take longer, but deeper prunes promote better growth of both leaves and blooms.
5. Cut out dead canes and damaged leaves. While you’re in there, trim out anything looking dead and/or diseased. Your shrubs will look better, air circulation will improve, and you’ll help stop disease before it spreads.
6. Remove everything you trimmed. Gather up your hard work and put it in a bag for trash pickup. This is essential to thwart disease-spread and pest havens. You didn’t want what you trimmed on the bush, so you certainly don’t want it elsewhere in your yard or garden! 
7. Fertilize. Roses are big feeders, so now’s the time to scoot back the mulch and spread some slow-release fertilizer. If you have rose-specific food, great! If not, use any low-nitrogen (2-4-1 nitrogen/phosphorous/potassium) mix you have on hand. Some fertilizer is better than no fertilizer.

Your roses may look a little “stark” after a good pruning. You might think, Oh no…what have I done?? Just know that roses will leaf out within days, looking fresh and happy, and not at all irritated with their late-summer cut. And within weeks, you’ll be rewarded with flowering beauty.