Last Minute Christmas Presents for Gardeners

/ karen

Here’s my last minute recommendations. I would love to receive any of these. They all last longer than Christmas Day. Prices vary, depending on special offers and discounts.

1. Vouchers for a course at Common Farm Flowers.

https://www.commonfarmflowers.com/workshops.html .

I joined the Grow Your Own Cut Flower Patch course a few years ago, and I’m self-sufficient in flowers for my friends and family. There was enough information to grow plants commercially, if I had wanted to. I’m delighted to be able to wander about my garden at any time of the year and create beautiful hand tied bouquets and pretty jam jar posies. There’s something special about home-grown flowers. It’s all a matter of planning and knowing what varieties to grow. Georgie is an excellent teacher. After attending one of her courses, you feel as if you can conquer the world. It’s a rather wonderful feeling!

Courses on offer range from £15 for a garden tour to £290 for a painting course.

Courses: Flower Farming, encouraging wildlife, social media for small businesses, starting a kitchen table business, grow your own wedding flowers, hand tied bouquets.

2. RHS Membership. From £61.

Develop your gardening skills with an RHS membership package. Membership includes unlimited entry to RHS gardens, discounts for show tickets, personalised advice, and entry to 200 partner gardens. The RHS magazine,The Garden, is worth the membership price alone. It is packed full of inspiring ideas and information. Written by experts we all trust. I always look forward to my copy, and it keeps me up to date with new plants, ideas for recycling, using less plastic in the garden and information on the latest research into plant diseases. It’s great to see The Garden magazine will be delivered in recyclable paper packaging instead of single-use plastic next spring.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/shop/special-offers/active-offers/rhs-gift-membership-offer

3. Support the Woodland Trust with a membership package. £48.

Explore 1,000 Woodland Trust woods. A walk in a wood lifts your mood and re-energises you. It will do you a power of good.

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/membership/

4. Membership for St Tiggywinkles wildlife hospital. £36.

We all rely on our wildlife, hedgehogs in particular, to help us combat slugs. This is a wonderful way to support wildlife and learn more about them.

https://www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk/top-navigation/help-us/membership.html

5. Join The Hardy Plant Society. £17 a year.

A great way to discover more about hardy plants, find like- minded gardeners and join in with events such as talks and slide shows, conservation and plant sales. There’s two issues of the The Hardy Plant magazine a year, free advice and a chance to take part in the free seed distribution scheme.

http://www.hardy-plant.org.uk/whyjoinus

6. Charles Dowding No-dig course. Various prices. Approx £150 a day.

Learn all about growing all kinds of vegetables and fruit, productively and with less effort. Charles has helped me to garden with a poorly back. I fractured my spine in a car crash 15 years ago. Without his advice, I would probably have had to give up my one acre garden. With his no-dig techniques, I have managed to keep on top of weeds, and grow all the fruit, veg and flowers I want to, without aggravating my spinal injuries.

I hope these last-minute suggestions have been useful. If not for Christmas, they make a lovely birthday present.

What’s the best course, or membership, you would recommend? Let me know so I can share your ideas too.

Coming up in the new year, I’ve been invited to try out some weekend holidays for gardeners. I’ll let you know how I get on. I’ll be taking my Mum with me, of course. Something to look forward to in 2019.

21 thoughts on “Last Minute Christmas Presents for Gardeners”

  2. Karen I love all your ideas to give or give away at Christmas or any other time of the year. I would ask them all. But I would love to be able to do the number 6: Charles Dowding No-cav course; With techniques of not digging and with weeds, we can grow fruits, vegetables and flowers. And I would also take the 4: Membership to the St Tiggywinkles wildlife hospital; because I love animals and I like to learn about them and above all to cure them and have a place to recover. Karen I am very happy that you go with your dear Mother to the weekends of the courses to which you have been invited. That means that it is completely cured. Give her many memories and love from me and also congratulate Christmas. Love and health for your family. Karen love, health and rest. Merry Christmas! Take care. Very loving greetings from Margarita.

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    • Thank you Margarita. Mum is much improved, thankfully. It’s been such a worrying time. Thank goodness for antibiotics and modern medicine. Love and happiness to you and your family. I’m flat out cooking right now. The sweet raisins and sugar mince pies are disappearing faster than I can make them. I’ve just come in from the apple store and I’m making apple crumble. All the apples are keeping really well this year and I expect them to last until February. I’ve also just made some orange and chocolate stollen pannatone. A new recipe for me. Much love . Karen xx xx

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    • Thank you Caro. Mum and I have been NT members for 20 years. We are rejoining in January as there are lots of houses and gardens in Cornwall I want to show to Mum. Thanks for reading. Have a fantastic Christmas xx

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    • Thank you Brian. I’ve got all of his books too and they are fantastic. Also, there’s lots of free information on his u tube . I’ve watched quite a few now. All really good. Thanks for reading.

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  10. I would definitely second your recommendation for a Common Farm Flowers. I had a lovely day there and, as you did, I returned home buzzing with ideas and confidence in my embryonic skills. And your other suggestions are excellent too. Thank you. Ceri

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    • Thank you Ceri. I think we are both fans of Common Farm. I’m so grateful for all the advice I’ve received from Georgie. Like you say, Georgie makes you feel you can achieve absolutely anything! Hints and tips and shortcuts make it all possible. Thanks for reading. All the best. Karen

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