Shopping for someone who has a pond or would love to have one? Water gardeners are an eclectic lot, but it's not difficult to buy gifts for the pond lover. Rare plants and plant gift certificates, practical accessories for the pond, landscaping services, and pond furniture are all great gifts for water gardeners.
Pond Filters, Pond Liners and Pond Deicers are Practical Gifts
For the eminently practical gardener who has everything, check to see if the pond is in need of supplies or repairs. A filter, a pond deicer, a liner repair kit, or even fish food are standard pond supplies for the practical pond lover who has everything. Sometimes it’s hard to justify spending money on practical needs for the pond, so it’s lovely to get items like filters, liners, and deicers as a gift.
A Gift Certificate to an Online or Local Garden Store
For winter birthdays and Christmas celebrations, it’s often difficult to get the water gardener a suitable pond-related present, since the pond can be frozen over! For those who are dreaming of spring, consider a gift certificate for an online pond store or a local garden center. A certificate to be put towards spring seeds is also a good idea for those who are doing winter weather planning. Pair this with a seed catalogue to get the ideas flowing!
Rare and Unusual Species of Plants for the Pond
Every plant lover has a list of plants that he or she is dying to have but can’t quite justify the purchase. Ask a water gardener for that list, then go out on a shopping trip to find the plants and bring them home for a birthday or Christmas present. A special water lily, an unusual fern, or a plant that brings unusual color to the water garden are all possibilities, but the plant list will likely be as diverse as water gardeners themselves.
Pond Design and Other Garden Landscaping Services
Perhaps the pond gardener has trouble putting the pond to bed for the winter or cleaning it in the fall. Maybe she’s looking for new plant design ideas or would like someone to help choose a site for a new pond. Landscaping advice is something that gardeners rarely splurge on, and it would be well-appreciated by any pond lover. Get a gift certificate so that the gardener can arrange a consultation.
Pond Furniture, Decorations, and Wildlife Habitats
A bench by the pond is a lovely retirement gift. For those who want to create a garden for meditation, a fountain or bubbler is a possibility. Garden ornaments can be a hit with some gardeners, especially those who love a certain animal or plant, but check to make sure that their garden is not already overwhelmed with trinkets. A mason bee house, bird house, frog home, floating island or a large rock that juts out over the koi pond are all ways to attract pond wildlife. Turn a pond into a wildlife sanctuary by adding habitat features.
It can be great fun to shop for someone who has an abiding interest in ponds and gardening. Gardeners are often reluctant to spend money on new plants and accessories for the pond when household needs are more pressing, so a gift certificate, garden consultation, or a gift of a special plant or piece of gardening equipment comes as a lovely surprise. It’s a gift that the pond lover will enjoy many times over.
HOL101
Tricia Edgar - Tricia Edgar is a gardener, environmental educator, and science writer from the Pacific Northwest.
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