Some Christmas gifts are too high maintenance. All those techie gadgets that require some sort of battery that you always seem to forget, can be a drag. Especially since, on Christmas day, everything is closed, so you are forced to wait an entire day to play with your shiny new toy. Gardening gifts, however, are quite the opposite. Like this windowsill fragrant herb garden, no batteries are required. Hopefully, you have some access to water, though.

Herb gardening can be an easy way to relax and mellow out. In addition, these great herbs can be grown right from the home – without a need to ever step outdoors. This is one of the reasons why herb gardens are so perfect for urban living, or apartments. When looking for new gifts this year, this windowsill fragrant herb garden is certainly one way to go. It sells for $9.99, and comes with three herbs – Lavender, Thyme, and Oregano.

The kit itself is a 13 inch galvanized steel try that fits perfectly on a windowsill or in any area that is close to a window or natural lighting. The three herbs that come with this kit are great – lavender is known as a mood booster, and is also widely used in French cooking. Thyme is an amazing compliment for lamb, eggs, and other dishes. Oregano – well, we all know that oregano is a perfect pairing for many Italian dishes, and smells great to boot. This herb garden can be your answer to “what should I get (insert name here) this year for the holidays.” It’s an excellent gift idea, not only perfect for the holiday season, but it also makes a great anniversary gift, a birthday gift, a Hanukah gift – the possibilities are limitless. Whatever the occasion, this herb garden is a great way to go.

When I was in high school I had a friend who worked late nights in a donut shop (which explains why my doctor was always after me to lose 10 or 100 pounds or so). They kept Aloe Vera gel in the cooler to use on burns from the fryer and swore by it. Now, the science is inconclusive and I’m not going to say whether or not it works but people in its native North Africa have been using it for medicinal purposes forever. Of course, people have been saying that Chihuahua dogs will cure asthma for a long time too….

One thing that I can say for certain is that I’ve always liked the plants. They are so easy to care for that even I can’t kill one and will grow anywhere that’s relatively frost free. Aloe Vera plants are available cactusstore.com in a variety of sizes

What better way to get your kid interested in plants; a plant that eats stuff. I had one of these when I was a kid and it was great fun. Venus Flytraps are a native plant of the Carolinas; and actually trap and eat insects unlucky enough to land on them. The trap portion actually secretes mucilage and when something touches the hairs along the edge they snap shut, shutting tighter the more the unfortunate victim struggles; eventually creating a hermetically sealed “stomach” that digests the prey over 10 days.

Venus Flytraps are found in nitrogen poor environments (such as bogs) of if you prefer to not slog around in bogs looking for carnivorous plants they are available from California Carnivores for $7.95. And you thought all those folks out on the west coast were vegetarians.

Perhaps your better educated than I am (something I willing to concede as probable), but the very first thing I thought when I saw this product was:  “What the heck is a Nasturtium”.  If you knew already, don’t hold it against me.  A quick trip to organicgardentips.com tells me that nasturtium is a flower, it’s a salad ingredient, and it’s used in stir fry.  I was always taught as a child you don’t eat the flowers.  Maybe that was just daisies.

In any case should you have a green thumbed friend who is inclined to eat flowers you would probably make their day with this.  They get a galvanized pail filled with everything they need to grow their own salad, stir fry veggies, or just something nice to look at.   Just add water and give it some sunlight.

The Garden in a Pail  is available from Gardeners Supply Company for $37.95

A personalized garden gift is always a great choice for a friend, loved one, or even yourself! These beautiful personalized clay garden planters are available with three different designs:

- Adirondak Chairs
- Horse and Colt
- Moose in Forest

You also get two lines of 10 characters to personalize with a name, address, or personal greeting. There are three colors you can pick from as well: green, navy, black or burgundy. The planters measure 10” in diameter, 9¼” high. They hold up to two gallons of soil.

Use these planters both indoors or outdoors for a unique look! You can also use them for storing garden tools, flower arrangements, and more. Just be creative and you’re sure to find a unique use for this great gift.

Spring is almost here! I can feel it. I’ve been checking out garden planters on the internet so I can get my container garden started soon, and I recently found this cool Stack and Grow Planter. This is a complete herb kit that has an attractive stackable design. The kit includes the following seeds: Parsley, Thyme, Cilantro, Basil, Dill, Oregano, Sweet Marjoram, Chives, Savory, Garlic Chives, Mustard, and Sage. The Stack and Grow Planter works both indoors and outdoors and includes complete instructions.

Give the luck of the Irish in a cool, personalized flower pot. This lucky clover gift set comes with a terra-cotta planter, growing medium, premium seed and growing instructions. It is adorned with a green ribbon and a gift tag that you can assign to a friend and neighbor. This kit also is available with sunflowers, forget-me-nots, and Sweet William.

Here’s another awesome gift suitable for starting indoors this winter. The Home Window Garden Kit offers a set of four different plants. You can choose from Organic Tomato, Organic Basil, Catnip or Lavender. Mix and match to create the perfect gift for yourself or a loved one.

This is a cool idea for a gift. A seed bag that you can reuse to grow the seeds! Garden-in-a-Bag is a unique gardening gift that includes a leak proof bag and all you need to grow a little fresh herbs in your own home. The different herbs and plants available include: Alpine Strawberry, Basil, Chives, Cilantro, Lavender, Mini Petunia, Mini Tomato, Oregano, Parsley, and Thank You Viola.

This thing is totally cool! The Amazing Message Plant comes in a little self contained can that you open up and water. A couple of weeks later, out grows a plant that actually has the message “I love you” in the leaves of the plant. And it’s only $12.

Makes a great gift for someone you love. If you don’t love them, then it’s probably not so great of a gift.