15 presents for L.A. gardeners and plant mother and father of all ranges

Plant individuals are simple to purchase for — and exhausting too — as a result of the actually die-hard gardeners normally need nothing greater than their favourite battered clippers and an previous desk knife for weeding.

The reality is, a lot of these cutesy have-to-have backyard presents look fairly on the retailer however serve little goal in the true world. The opposite reality is that gardeners take pleasure in extra than simply planting and pulling weeds — they like visiting different gardens for inspiration (and pleasure!). They love artwork that reminds them of nature’s extraordinary magnificence, workshops that assist them study and, in fact, helpful instruments that make their work simpler.

The options beneath have all been examined by an actual gardener (yours actually), and I can vouch for the delight-ability of each one. I attempted to search out helpful and/or lovely gadgets that received’t break the financial institution. And for bonus factors: Nearly all of these things come from artists or firms primarily based in Southern California so it doesn’t matter what you select, you’ll be supporting our native economic system.

When you make a purchase order utilizing a few of our hyperlinks, the L.A. Instances could also be compensated.

Sally Jacobs’ botanical artwork

L.A. botanical artist Sally Jacobs does exacting, beautiful renderings of all issues botanical, from beautiful flowers to the gnarly particulars of a celery root to the wealthy Renaissance-style particulars of a turban squash (above). She does her personal printing in her Mid-Wilshire studio, utilizing archival ink on acid-free fine-art paper, and indicators each print. She additionally thoughtfully chooses sizes (8 by 10 inches or 11 by 14 inches) that simply match into customary frames, so you may truly afford to current your recipient a whole reward. When you can’t resolve on a print, purchase one in every of Jacobs’ card units ($18) and body just a few of the authentic watercolor artwork playing cards. And look ahead to her subsequent present on the Artists Gallery subsequent spring.

$25 to $35 at Sally Jacobs Studio

Hand pruners are to gardeners what sneakers are to fashionistas — you may by no means have too many — however I’ve come to appreciate that almost all days after I’m roaming the backyard, all I really want is a small hand pruner to maintain issues tidy. The issue is, my sturdy 1-inch pruners are cumbersome in my pocket and tiring to make use of. Corona Instruments, a Corona, Calif., enterprise for almost 100 years, launched its pocket pruner final yr. The machine — small and light-weight sufficient to slide simply into my pocket, however sturdy sufficient to chop by means of branches as much as a ½-inch diameter — has change into my favourite for backyard chores. You possibly can order it from the Corona web site, however the delivery will double your value except you’re ordering $100 price of products. You can even take a look at your native ironmongery shop for Corona Instruments’ BP13630, a.okay.a. the Yard Necessities pocket pruner.

$15 at Lowe’s

Bear in mind what I stated above about gardeners by no means having sufficient pruners? Nicely, there’s a special concern for houseplant mother and father who should wander their indoor jungles with watering cans, misters, fertilizers and pruners after which discover a place to retailer them. I had my doubts about Corona-based Corona Instruments’ new Lifeless Header Snips, however the minute I attempted them I used to be hooked. They’re light-weight, connect to your forefinger and match comfortably in your palm, so you may carry different gadgets and almost overlook they’re there till you want them. I used mine to chop a bouquet exterior, deftly harvest some inexperienced beans, lemons and eggplants, and even minimize finger-sized branches with ease. I’ve nothing however raves about these small however sturdy clippers. They’re an indispensable, easy-to-store instrument for tending potted crops in addition to harvesting flowers and veggies from the backyard.

$16 at Lowe’s

Chaparral Studio ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ California poppies pin

L.A. artist and panorama designer Bianca D’Amico’s intelligent enamel pin completely captures Southern California’s love for our native wildflowers together with our concern about not destroying these flowers with an excessive amount of love. Enamel pins are typically too heavy to make use of on garments, however this cheerful design that includes the state flower — the California poppy — and the phrases, “Don’t Tread on Me,” is giant sufficient (1.5 inches-by-1 inch) to get its message throughout with out overwhelming a lapel. Take into account this a small-but-thoughtful reward for wildflower lovers or any plant aficionados who wish to make a press release stylishly on a jacket, hat or bag. Ultimate promoting level: You don’t even need to wrap this reward, as a result of it comes so superbly adorned, full with sprigs of pressed however nonetheless aromatic blooms of Cleveland sage, which, just like the golden poppies, are California native crops.

$12 at Chaparral Studio

Ambrosia linen produce baggage

Jan Rem of Ojai is a gardener who felt uneasy about storing her produce in plastic baggage. She grew up wrapping damp greens in linen tea towels to maintain them crisp however was pissed off when her salad makings fell out of the towels. Then she added a zipper to one in every of her linen towels, and Ambrosia Produce Baggage was born. These useful, reusable linen baggage are designed to maintain veggies and leafy greens crisp for longer and to stop them from dissolving into brownish-green smears of goo in a plastic bag. Rem makes use of a heavier-weight linen to maintain berries agency and mushrooms from turning to slime. One tip: Wash your greens and veggies and retailer them moist of their baggage within the crisper drawer; maintain your mushrooms and berries unwashed and dry of their baggage till you employ them. Softer berries like raspberries and blackberries ought to keep within the backside of their clamshell containers (recycle the tops) whenever you put them within the bag, except you desire a tie-dyed bag, Rem stated. An efficient, easy-to-use method to scale back plastics within the house, the luggage are sized for his or her meant gadgets, color-coded and clearly labeled, so you may see at a look which one holds the lettuce.

$26-$30; $110 for all 4 at Ambrosia Produce Baggage

Fig Earth Provide’s hashish gardening bundle

When you have a hashish consumer in your listing (and who doesn’t as of late?), Fig Earth Provide is providing an excellent package deal for individuals who wish to cease worrying concerning the potential pesticides of their product. The Mount Washington–primarily based nursery is providing two courses for starting gardeners beginning in February — one explaining learn how to develop hashish at house and the opposite learn how to harvest it; each are taught by educator Emily Gogol, chief government of Develop It From House, an Oregon-based firm that sells mail-order hashish seeds and crops the identical method different nurseries promote veggie begins. Gogol’s courses bought out rapidly in Los Angeles this yr so go forward and guide early to present your reward recipient a head begin on rising their very own in 2025. The bundle consists of the 2 courses together with a package deal of six hashish seeds and a duplicate of the guide “The Hashish Gardener” by San Francisco Bay-area hashish educator Penny Barthel.

$100 at Fig Earth Provide

Farmers Protection safety sleeves

After a day within the backyard, my arms normally are crisscrossed with scratches, sunburn, just a few punctures from thorns and as a rule, a low-grade rash. Then I attempted a pair of Farmers Protection safety sleeves: Suppose lengthy, fingerless gloves that reach to only underneath the armpits, in a silky-feeling “eco-dynamic” cloth often known as Repreve, constituted of recycled plastic bottles and recycled materials. To my shock, they really stayed up and saved my arms protected as I whacked scratchy shrubs for a number of hours. Through the course of, they didn’t even really feel scorching; afterward, the sleeves appeared untouched. In the event that they do get soiled, they’re mechanically cleanable, they usually are available in myriad colours and designs, from camo to monarch butterflies. It is a helpful and considerate reward for gardeners uninterested in sporting itchy scars after a day within the yard.

$27 at Farmers Protection

Theodore Payne Basis reward playing cards

Native plant gardens are a brand new mind-set about landscaping in Southern California, however the Theodore Payne Basis has a wealth of information on the topic, having been centered on California native crops for 64 years. The muse provides an array of conservation and teaching programs in addition to its standard Native Plant Backyard Tour, which takes place April 5-6, 2025. An excellent reward, then, is a present card, which might let its recipient buy a ticket to the 2025 Native Plant Backyard Tour (it was $55 this yr) or take a category to study extra about landscaping with California’s indigenous crops. Feeling extra-generous? A $100 reward card would allow them to do each and likewise assist create extra habitats for our threatened pollinators and wildlife.

$100 at Theodore Payne Basis Retailer

Tree of Life Nursery wildflower seed mixes

Native wildflowers are one in every of California’s superpowers. Even when their blooms are middling, they impress, and once they’re nice — as in superblooms that cowl total hillsides like colourful quilts — they create us to our knees. No surprise individuals attempt to re-create just a little of that magic of their yards. The Tree of Life Nursery in San Juan Capistrano has been promoting native crops and seeds for almost 50 years. (Its wildflower seeds are collected solely by S & S Seeds in Carpinteria for Southern California gardens.) Select from 10 completely different seed mixes, which embrace directions on the easiest way to plant them for max blooms. Three ounces of seed will cowl 400 sq. toes, a pleasant begin to a starting habitat backyard. And the fantastic thing about this reward is that when they bloom, these wildflowers will reseed to create new blooms yr after yr.

$4 to $8.50 an oz. at Tree of Life Nursery

Bauer Pottery orange swirl pot

Bauer Pottery is sort of a sweet store of ceramics, with pots and dishes in so many sensible colours that buying on the retailer appears like a celebration. John Andrew Bauer started making brown-glazed pottery in Paducah, Ky., in 1885 and moved his enterprise and household to Los Angeles in 1910. By 1930, Bauer Pottery was creating pottery and tableware in lots of daring colours. The corporate closed in 1962, however was resurrected in 2000 by collector Janek Boniecki, who purchased the rights to Bauer in 1998 and re-created Bauer pots in shapes and colours from the Thirties and Forties. Immediately you will get a good-looking 9-inch swirl pot, as an illustration, in 9 colours (from Bauer orange to Federalist blue), with the distinctive Bauer Pottery stamp. These specific pots don’t have drain holes (though Bauer will drill holes free of charge on request), which makes them good for indoor crops. Simply slip a potted houseplant — nonetheless in its authentic plastic container — into the pot; take away the plant from the Bauer pot simply for watering with out worrying about leaks. It’s a present as sensible as it’s modern. Proven right here, it’s paired with an 8-inch Dieffenbachia ‘Tropic Snow’ plant from Creature’s Vegetation & Espresso.

$99 at Bauer Pottery

Annual membership to a botanic backyard

Southern California is blessed with an abundance of sensible climate for gardening together with a plethora of botanic gardens to assist us resolve what to develop — or to assuage our souls after we want some plant time outdoor. Annual memberships are the reward that retains on giving all year long, with free entry into the gardens, plus reductions on particular occasions and courses and even free passes for buddies! Most twin memberships for 2 named adults value $100 or much less (though the famend Huntington Library, Artwork Museum, and Botanical Gardens will run you $175 for 2 adults in the identical family). Seek for gardens near your recipient’s house to allow them to make frequent use of your beneficiant reward. A number of options: California Botanic Backyard and Santa Barbara Botanic Backyard (for native plant lovers), Descanso Gardens, Los Angeles County Arboretum, South Coast Botanic Backyard, San Diego Botanic Backyard and Ventura Botanical Gardens.

Costs fluctuate; take a look at 16 choices right here.

CoolJob bamboo touchscreen gardening gloves

I’ve tried a lot of gardening gloves, however all of them had the identical drawback: I needed to peel them off to make use of my smartphone, which isn’t simple once they’re moist or crusted with filth. Then I found Ontario-based CoolJob’s touchscreen gardening gloves, which shield my arms whereas retaining them cool and permitting me to work my cellphone. These gloves are available in six sizes and are constituted of a bamboo-nylon fiber with a foamed nitrile protecting on the thumb, fingers and palm, making them powerful sufficient to resist a yr’s price of heavy use (the typical lifespan of my backyard gloves), earlier than I’ve to interchange them. Better of all is the associated fee: simply $9 for 2 pairs. At that worth, you may fill the vacation stocking of each gardener in your listing, or add a pair to a present basket for a starting gardener. Simply suppose: Your gardening buddies will be capable to reply whenever you name!

$11.99 at CoolJob

‘Medicinal Herbs of California’ subject information by Lanny Kaufer

Lanny Kaufer is predicated in Ojai, however he’s been conducting Herb Walks by means of the wilds of Southern California for almost 5 a long time, stating the names and plenty of makes use of of the area’s native and invasive crops. It’s a enjoyable and informative method to get some historical past concerning the makes use of of those crops, from culinary and medicinal to creating musical devices or weaving baskets. His guide, “Medicinal Herbs of California: A Area Information to Frequent Therapeutic Vegetation,” dives deep into that historical past as nicely, with pictures to assist with plant identification. I took one in every of Kaufer’s Herb Walks in Ventura and got here away enlightened on a number of factors. As an example, alcohol is an efficient method to wash off poison oak in the event you apply it inside half-hour, he stated; in any other case, use juice from the ground-up native mugwort plant to deal with the soon-to-follow blistering rash. Fascinating aspect word: Mugwort tends to develop subsequent to poison oak. The guide and reward certificates for Herb Walks ($25-$45) are all accessible on Kaufer’s web site; you should definitely embrace a hyperlink along with your reward so your recipients can choose their walks.

$27 at Herb Walks With Lanny Kaufer

Hardy Californian LA Vegetation Mother & Dad Hat

Parker Davis of Hardy Californians is a panorama designer and native plant fanatic, however he additionally has a aptitude for trend. Simply take a look at the terrific L.A. Vegetation cap he designed in Dodgers blue, which fades to a pleasant sky blue over time. Each time I put on this snug, washable cap, somebody stops to ask me the place they’ll purchase one. It’s sort of like being a star! These well-made hats are available in a number of colours; the light classic blue (proven above) is a current providing as a result of, Davis stated, so many individuals tried to purchase his light royal blue cap off his head. When you go for the royal blue, one other word is that it’ll fade naturally after many washes and publicity to the solar (for all you purists on the market).

$35 at Hardy Californians

The Plant Good Seed Co.’s Culinary Basil seed assortment

The Plant Good Seed Co. is predicated in Ojai, with growers up and down the West Coast (together with a number of round this small Ventura County metropolis), and even within the japanese United States. The seeds, hand-packaged in Ojai, are neither genetically modified nor chemically handled, and most are licensed natural. What I actually recognize is the big range accessible on-line and at many native retailers, particularly with its seed collections — just like the Culinary Basil choice, which provides six varieties of basil for gardeners who like to cook dinner. Different collections run the gamut, from a mixture of poppies to culinary herbs, or easy-to-grow vegetable seeds for the start gardener. There’s one thing comforting about figuring out there’s an organization in Southern California offering such a big selection of seeds for rising meals and flowering crops.

$24 at the Plant Good Seed Co.

Costs and availability of experiences within the Present Information and on latimes.com are topic to vary.

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