GARDENING: 12 Christmas gift ideas

There's a festive gift for all gardeners this season, from a Christmas cactus to a horticultural hamper. Here's a dozen present ideas to suit your green-fingered family and friends...

1. The Coffee Lover's Gift Crate, £42, The Gluttonous Gardener (glut.co.uk)

If your gardening pal loves coffee, why not combine their two passions with this gorgeous coffee arabica houseplant in a terracotta pot, which may produce a harvest of beans if looked after properly. The crate comes with a pack of Fairtrade ground coffee and bag of chocolate-covered coffee beans too.

2. Plant Pot Egg Cups And Spoons,£12.99 a pair, Suttons (suttons.co.uk)

They can enjoy a garden-inspired start to the day with breakfast on a pair of egg cups styled like clay plant pots and shovel-shaped spoons. A novelty gift for the gardener who has (almost) everything, these are sure to raise a smile on Christmas morning.

3. Polystone Dish Planter, £21 for a 34cm dish, Roundwood of Mayfield (roundwood.com)

If smooth lines and a contemporary feel to container planting is what your loved one prefers, the sleek frost-resistant Polystone range from The Pot Company, made from stone powder set in resin, is equally at home indoors or out and offers a lighter alternative to stone. They went down a storm at this year's Chelsea Flower Show so would be a perfect gift for designer devotees. Available in a range of sizes and colours.

4. Classic Light Gloves £16, Husqvarna (husqvarna.com)

These gloves are built for comfort, with a soft goat leather palm and stretchy jersey fabric on the back. Goat leather contains natural fat and will offer some protection against moisture too, while the gloves are tough enough to tackle general gardening jobs.

5. Set of Three Cacti, £33, Suttons (suttons.co.uk)

If they're a bit of a lazy gardener, looking after this set of cacti shouldn't be too difficult. These prickly plants are still in vogue and will last for years with minimum care. They come in grey concrete-like ceramic pots on wooden legs and look great in either the home or the office.

6. Gift for Plant Lovers Hamper, prices vary, Dobbies Garden Centres, in store only

You can handpick your own gift selection with Dobbies' build-your-own hamper service, available in stores. The baskets are £11.49 for a 14in or £19.99 for an 18in, then you can fill it with whatever you choose (price will vary depending on items included). Perhaps some pampering gardeners' soap, some gourmet treats, new tools, books and more.

7. Microgreens Kitchen Seed Sprouter, £11.99, Johnsons Seeds (johnsons-seeds.com)

For instant windowsill veg, microgreens are the way to go, and this compact seed sprouter is bound to be a conversation-starter too. It's mess-free as the microgreens don't need soil to grow and will emerge in just a few days.

8. KitSound Diggit Outdoor Freestanding Bluetooth Garden Speaker, £20.99, Amazon.co.uk

This outdoor garden speaker comes with a removable stake, which will stick easily in the grass to keep the speaker off the ground, enabling 360-degree audio, and offers eight-hours' play time. At night, there's an LED light ring that lights up - ideal for those outdoor soirees. It's also weatherproof.

9. Mini Multi-Change Gift Set, £24.99, Wolf-Garten (wolfgarten-tools.co.uk)

This set of mini tools is ideal for the friend who has a small garden or balcony, or is a gardening beginner. It includes everything needed for planting, loosening, weeding and cleaning and includes a trowel, small cultivator, small lawn rake, double hoe and a small handle, which can also be interchanged with more than 60 different tool heads in the Multi-Change range.

10. Grow Your Own Weird Vegetable Patch, £30, The Gluttonous Gardener (glut.co.uk)

There are some terrifically weird and wonderful gardening gifts from this retailer, and this one is no exception. Inside a beautiful presentation box is a trio of seed packets containing unusual varieties of veg - striped beetroot, rainbow carrots and 'Tromboncino' squash - along with a personalised garden slate.

11. Bio Green FireFly, £29.99 (available from December), Hillier Garden Centres in store only or Amazon.co.uk

There's now a cleaner way to keep your greenhouse frost-free. This decorative frost guard, made from terracotta, is heated by an eco-friendly candle made from biomass and will keep small greenhouses and cold frames frost-free. The candle can burn for up to 48 hours and the FireFly can also be used to burn essential oils in the home.

12. Personalised Garden Beer Trug, from £31.49, Crocus (crocus.co.uk)

If your loved one likes a little tipple at the end of a hard day on the allotment, or just wants refreshment close at hand in the garden, this sturdy pine garden beer trug will carry six large bottles and can be personalised with your own two-line message (up to 35 characters per line).