Green your Christmas: gardening gift

Winter isn't the nicest time of year to be digging around in the garden, but you can bet your last mince pie that green-fingered garden-lovers are just itching to get back outdoors and prepare for spring. An eco-garden gift for Christmas will keep them going until it's time to reconnect with the daffodils.

If you have a friend who complains about not having a garden, then give them a plant pot filled with herbs or flowers. They can simply pop it on the window sill for their own 'mini garden'. And rather than using a plain terracotta or plastic pot, cover it with one of Hen and Hammock’s bright recycled plant pot holders (£6). They're handmade by designer Kim Jenkins from old fruit and veg sacks used to transport greens to London markets. Unfortunately the pot holders are currently sold out, but Hen and Hammocks assure us they're be more come January -- and, to be fair, it's pretty unlikely you'll receive anything you order now in time for Christmas anyway.

For those who do have a garden, there are some lovely gift sets to be had. At Ethical Superstore, for example, you can find the Potting Shed Collection (£18), which is made from FSC-certified materials. It holds a Paper Potter for making biodegradable pots from old newspaper, a dibblet for seedlings, an Oak Pot Tamper to firm the soil, a dibber and garden lines for lining up those crops.

Hen and Hammock do a few garden sets too, like the Seed and String pack (£22), which includes six packets of organic vegetable seeds, one ball of jute string, four plant labels from English oak and a pencil -- all presented in a colourful Wola Nani papier mache bowl that's been handmade in South Africa by women with HIV.

For the twitcher in your life, a bird box is an essential garden feature. Nigel’s Eco Store do an interesting globe-shaped Birdball (£30), which is handmade from clay and ideal for encouraging small birds to the garden.

Related Links

• SmartPlanet