15 Gift Ideas for Dads Who Love to Garden
Father’s Day brings the opportunity to treat the special people in our lives with thoughtful, functional, and lasting garden gifts. For Dads who enjoy gardening, a garden-related gift is the best! Join gardener Katherine Rowe in reviewing top picks to gift this Father’s Day.
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Father’s Day is the perfect opportunity to treat Dad to gifts for the garden. On the brink of summer, the garden is flourishing, productive, and ripe for the picking. And, there’s plenty to do! On Sunday, we hope all gardening dads take a moment to relax and enjoy their garden rewards.
Whether your dad is a casual garden enthusiast or a full-fledged plantsman who’s always outside, thoughtful and purposeful gift options abound. There are plenty of ideas for the houseplant jungle, too. Join us in exploring a few top garden gifts to share with the special people in our lives this Father’s Day.
Hand Pruners
- Forged aluminum and hardened steel construction for durability
- Ergonomic, nonslip, cushioned handles
- Ultra-sharp for precise cuts for proper plant care
A reliable pair of hand pruners (or three) is a long-lasting investment and a treat for the gardener. Like a trusted companion, these classic hand pruners are the gold standard in the horticulture industry.
These solid pruners effortlessly cut stems up to one inch in diameter, making pruning a breeze. Swiss-made with a long lasting design, they’re a gift that keeps giving.
These icons stand alone as a gift or pair handsomely with a holster for safekeeping and easy access on gardening days. Felco relies on renewable energy sources to produce their products, and every part of these pruners is replaceable should they fall victim to “extreme” gardening.
Raised Beds
- Built to last 20+ years
- Easy to install and configure
- Food-safe materials for healthy soils and crops
- Corrosion and rust-resistant
- Available in a wide range of shapes and sizes
Give Dad the gift of creativity and personal garden space with a metal or cedar raised bed. Raised beds are easy to use and allow gardeners to grow an array of vegetables, herbs, and ornamentals while controlling site placement, soil quality, and moisture needs.
Raised beds also create more manageable weed control. They’re accessible garden options for kids and adults, making harvesting and tending plants easier. Raised beds adapt easily to different crops and seasonal changes, so growing new arrangements is streamlined.
Raised beds offer solutions to challenging garden situations in areas with poor soils, drainage issues, small spaces, or no soil at all. Mainly, they give us a fun, functional growing opportunity. Whether metal or cedar, raised beds bring lasting materials to the function and arrangement of the garden space.
Fabric Grow Bags
- BPA-free
- Liner retains moisture while allowing air flow for roots
- Irrigation-retaining strip for drip setup
- UV-resistant
Growing plants in fabric bags is a versatile way to garden. The bags are portable and available in different sizes, making gardening possible in spaces with poor drainage, weed issues, or challenging soils.
Simply fill a bag with the potting soil of your choice and grow your favorite plants. From small bags for lettuce to large ones to house young trees or shrubs, fabric bags make suitable container options.
Lined fabric bags retain moisture and insulation to promote healthy roots. They don’t dry out as quickly as unlined or thin bags, lessening watering frequency. Grow bags are also easy to store when not in use.
Arabica Coffee Plant
- Attractive foliage
- Fragrant flowers
- Houseplant or greenhouse specimen
- Coffee beans!
For the houseplant aficionado and coffee lover, an arabica coffee plant may be the perfect gift. The beautiful tree holds long, glossy green leaves and yields jasmine-scented white blooms in spring. Post-bloom, green berries emerge that turn to red and house the coffee beans.
Coffea arabica grows well in containers as a low-maintenance houseplant in bright, indirect light. It grows outdoors year-round in zones 9-11 (overwinter plants inside in other zones).
Arabica coffee plants hold multiseason appeal and are a novel addition to the home garden. Take the perfect cup of coffee to the next level by growing your own beans! It’s doable with a single arabica plant.
Unique Seed Mixes
- A blend of heirloom selections with exceptional flavor
- Preserves plant diversity, food ways, and heritage seeds
- Inspires new garden favorites and recalls gardens past
A personal favorite to gift at Father’s Day is the Heirloom Organic Seed Bank Collection with heritage favorites prized for flavor and garden performance. Seeds will last three to five years before planting, so Dad can choose from season to season.
For a spicier selection, a curated cocktail seed mix combines the best herbs for tasty beverages (and many other culinary uses). Briana’s Cocktail Garden Picks give Dad a chance to celebrate Father’s Day in garden style by sowing seeds so that in seasons to come, he can kick up his feet and enjoy the refreshing rewards.
From ‘Peach Melba’ nasturtium to ‘Mouse Melon’ cucamelon, this unique mix lends a little homegrown sparkle to festive occasions to come. Toast Dad and add to his mixology skills with this creative seed blend.
If a cocktail garden isn’t for your dad, choose Kevin’s Weird and Unique Picks for a wild mix of unusual favorites. If there’s one thing gardeners love, it’s the chance to experiment with new and different plant selections.
Seed Starting Supplies
- Includes cell packs and trays
- Long lasting and durable for years to come
- Made in the USA from recycled, BPA-free, UV-treated materials
Dad is going to need top-notch growing supplies to accompany all his seeds for Father’s Day. Seed-starting bundles make it easy to gift reusable cell packs and trays. Components are also available individually, making it easy to start seeds indoors and transplant them to the garden.
We love cell packs for their airflow to roots and ease of removing seedlings from the pack—simply pop them out with a finger through an opening in the bottom of the cell. Universal trays are durable and sturdy for long lasting support. Dad won’t need to throw these away due to flimsy construction; they’re built to reuse.
Starting plants from seeds gives us the opportunity to grow varieties we don’t commonly find in stores. Seedlings get a jumpstart on seasonal readiness for timely rewards and make the resourceful process fun in the doing.
Terracotta Olla Watering Kit
- Ancient watering technique with modern conveniences
- Reduces water consumption and time while fostering healthy plants
- Vacation friendly – less water worries when away from the garden
The garden Olla Watering Kit operates with a simple, unique watering technique to cut watering needs drastically. These pots use a porous terracotta clay reservoir to deliver water to the surrounding soil.
To use the pots, bury them in the garden bed and fill the primary reservoir (included) with water. Use them alone or attached to irrigation hosing. Roots are drawn to the water source, sending themselves toward the pot and soaking up just the water they require.
The watering pots are available in three sizes for various watering needs and bed sizes. Give Dad a break from watering with this easy method built on an ancient watering technique.
Kitchen Compost Bin
- Convenient, compact size fits on countertops
- Works for all food scraps
- Odor-free
- Streamlined design
For the eco-conscious Dad, this compost bin mixes convenience with the fun of experimenting with making his own garden compost. Composting isn’t glamorous, but the sleek, streamlined countertop design of the Bokashi Kitchen Compost Bin begs to differ.
We gardeners love compost! Recycling food waste into garden goodness is a happy gift. The Bokashi Kitchen Compost bin uses a starter of bran and microorganisms to break down food scraps for an odor-free, no-mess experience.
Indoor composting systems shake up traditional composting in a convenient way. Hold onto your garden compost pile for your green waste, but add to the goodness with productive indoor systems.
Meyer Lemon Bush
- Compact form, perfect for containers
- Prolific and flavorful fruits
- Sweetly fragrant blossoms
- Attractive foliage
Meyer lemons produce abundant fruits, have rich green evergreen foliage, and bloom twice yearly with deliciously sweet-smelling clusters of white blossoms. Citrus x meyeri is a hybrid between a lemon and a sweet orange or mandarin, making the yellow-orange fruits sweeter and less acidic than other lemon varieties.
The ‘Improved’ Meyer lemon bush is a younger form of the ‘Improved’ Meyer lemon tree, with a compact growth habit. The shrubby form of the Meyer lemon makes it easier to grow in containers and prune than other fruit trees.
The ‘Improved’ variety is hardy in zones 8-11 and thrives in warm climates. In cooler climates, bring the container indoors to overwinter and enjoy the tropical feel they bring to the season. Keep plants pruned to maintain a shrubby form.
Seed Starting Heat Mat
- Durable PVC resists water and dirt
- Low wattage for energy conservation
- Simple setup beneath seeding cell packs, pots, and trays
A heat mat increases seed germination and plant growth by making soils 10 to 20℉ warmer. Gardeners can start seeds earlier in the cool season for robust seedlings when it comes time to transplant them into the garden.
Warm soils benefit heat-loving plants like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and melons, as well as many herbs, perennials, and annuals like zinnias and sunflowers. Seed mats are a valuable gift for dads who want to start seeds indoors and get a head start on vigorous plants.
Epic Homesteading Book
- Explore how to:
- Set up indoor and outdoor growing spaces
- Conserve and recycle water
- Grow and preserve food
- Conserve energy
Inspire Dad to embrace modern homesteading or further his knowledge with expertise that works across any garden plot. From modern and high tech components to conventional growing techniques, urban homesteader and Epic Gardening founder Kevin Espiritu shares the ins-and-outs of growing for self-sufficiency, health, and sustainability.
The Epic Homesteading Book shares accessible information based on Kevin’s extensive trial-and-error in his own urban yard turned homestead. His insights make growing healthy food in waterwise and sustainable ways doable no matter where you live (and yes, we’re happily biased!).
Loppers
- Cuts through larger stems with ease
- Sharp, curved blade makes clean, healthy cuts
- Lightweight aluminum handles have shock-absorbing grips
Take pruning up a notch with a pair of sturdy loppers. We’re not suggesting Dad do more work in the garden, just that he needs the best tools to do what he enjoys. A good pair of loppers makes cutting and pruning tasks much quicker and easier—no shredding stems to get through them.
The long handles on the Felco loppers make overhead and far-reach cuts more accessible. The curved and hooked blades sharpen and change easily. Felco carries replacement parts for all components, keeping sustainability and long lasting craftsmanship in mind.
Pruning is an essential garden task and part of regular seasonal maintenance for plant health. Good loppers are a tool he’ll pick up again and again, with durable materials and design performance.
Fig Tree
- Cold-hardy fig selection
- Tough, low-maintenance grower
- Produces masses of early-ripening fruits
‘Chicago Hardy’ fig broadens the traditional growing range for the fruits with cold hardiness down to zone 6 and even zone 5 with added winter protection. Plants yield loads of purple figs with fine-grained, pinky-red interiors in mid-summer to late fall.
‘Chicago Hardy’ are tough and adaptable plants. They grow in full sun to partial shade and are drought-tolerant once established. They’re also well-suited to container culture.
If cold hardiness isn’t a factor, opt for additional varieties like ‘Black Mission’ for exceptional flavor and ‘Brown Turkey,’ a top garden performer in hot climates. ‘Fignomenal’ fig features robust fruiting on a compact form, reaching only two and a half to three feet tall.
Soil Testing Kit
- Easy to use with quick results
- Determines soil composition and macro and micronutrients
- Results provide analysis and amendment recommendations
For the Dad with a scientific curiosity, this at-home soil testing kit is simple to use and yields useful results about garden soil conditions. A soil test indicates soil type and composition, along with available nutrients. Soil is the garden’s foundation and the key to growing healthy plants.
Soil tests are essential in letting us know what we have too much or too little of in our garden soil and how to adjust it for best growing conditions. With this test, gardeners receive a complete analysis with easy-to-follow information. It also includes recommendations on fertilizer and amendments to balance the soil.
Each soil kit includes a soil sampling bag to test soil from a single area. After taking the sample, send it to the lab using the mailer with pre-paid shipping (included in the cost of the kit). In about a week, soil results are sent via PDF with readings, explanations, and recommendations.
Gardening Digital Gift Card
- Fast, digital delivery
- No expiration
- Applies to any Epic Gardening store purchases
A garden-centric gift card lets Dad pick what he’d like for the garden: his next live plant, tool, planter, seed collection, or unique accessory we never would have known he needed. A huge bonus on the gardener gift cards is that they’re digital for quick delivery, making them easy to send to loved ones in a timely (and even last-minute) way without preceding thoughtfulness.
Gardener gift cards are available in various amounts, allowing flexibility in gifting and shopping. They let the recipient to indulge happily in garden shopping without hesitation.
Final Thoughts
We hope these gift ideas inspire some garden love for Dads. Mostly, though, we wish everyone a happy Father’s Day and enjoyment in celebrating. We hope they take time to relax and enjoy the garden (they’ve certainly earned it!), and maybe we can all take a little garden time to honor the special people in our lives.
