As the winter deepens and the garden rests, December is a great month for gardeners to reflect on the past year’s growth and plan for the next.

The season’s quiet and stillness, promotes an opportunity to embrace slowness and contemplation rather than the frenzy of consumerism. That said, shopping can become more enjoyable if the focus shifts from novelty nonsense gifts to meaningful, sustainable gifts that real gardeners will enjoy.

Buy a book

Books offer a comforting refuge in winter, and few are as rewarding for nature-loving gardeners as Zoë Devlin’s A Personal Record – Wild Flowers of Ireland published by Gill Books, €29.99.

While not a how-to manual, it reminds us that every space we cultivate is part of a wider ecosystem and that life cannot exist without plants. This hardcover coffee-table book features stunning photographs and engaging notes that encourage readers to appreciate the so-called weeds that appear between vegetable rows, along gravel paths and among hedgerows.

Not only does this book celebrate Ireland’s natural heritage but it guides you in identifying wildflowers while exploring their herbal, literary and folklore connections. In the kitchen garden, where productivity often dominates, it’s easy to overlook that every dandelion, daisy, thistle, and nettle has its place. Understanding wild plants helps us work with nature rather than against it.

There is also a handy pocket-sized The Wildflowers of Ireland book which is perfect for those who want to wander in nature with curiosity.

Subscription

For gardeners who already own countless tools, a subscription is a gift that lasts without cluttering space. One standout is a membership with the Irish Seed Savers Association, offering access to Irish-grown, open-pollinated seeds, and you’re supporting an organisation dedicated to the conservation of heritage vegetable, fruit and grain varieties.

Members receive a quarterly newsletter, discounts on courses and early access to fresh seeds each spring whilst helping to safeguard Ireland’s plant genetic diversity and resilience in a time of a changing climate.

Brown Envelope Seeds in west Cork (brownenvelopeseeds.ie), who produce open-pollinated vegetable, grain and herb seeds also offer great gardener gift packs, like this Peas on Earth Gift Box, €10.

Another excellent subscription choice is The Irish Garden magazine (€40 per year), full of practical gardening tips, plant profiles and glimpses of some of Ireland’s most beautiful gardens.

Japanese treasure

One tool every gardener should have on their belt is a Niwaki original ‘Hori Hori’ (including canvas holster), €45 available from howbertandmays.ie.

Originally from Japan, this versatile tool is part trowel, part weeder and part knife. Its name, meaning ‘dig-dig’, perfectly describes its function – cutting through roots, dividing perennials and creating precision planting holes.

Unlike bulky trowels, the Hori Hori is lightweight, durable and multifunctional. It can transplant seedlings, mark rows, slice through sod or even open compost bags. Niwaki offers a fine selection, but for durability that lasts a lifetime, the Lesche double-serrated T-handle shovel and hand digger with belt sheath is nearly indestructible, even used for metal detecting and gold prospecting.

Self-care gift

Finally, it’s important to remember one’s own wellbeing within your gardening system. While gardeners naturally nurture plants, they often neglect their backs and knees. A good pair of kneeling pads, like this one from arboretum.ie (€22.95), can make long weeding sessions far more comfortable, protecting knees from pain caused by prolonged kneeling. This pressure can lead to the infamous Housemaid’s Knee, a common condition where the front of the knee becomes swollen and sore from constant kneeling.

Gardening can be energising but at the same time, physically demanding, so choose kneeling pads that are thickly cushioned, moisture-resistant, and distribute pressure evenly. Taking care of your body ensures that gardening remains a pleasure, not a chore.

I have crops growing in the garden and in containers and I’m getting nervous about frost and cold snaps damaging them this month. – Mary Williamson, Co Louth.

Frost protection starts with covering vulnerable crops so have fleece, cloches, bubble wrap or even upturned buckets to hand on frosty nights. Move containers close to the house or into a sheltered corner and raise them on pot feet to prevent waterlogging. Mulch soil around root crops still in the ground with straw, compost or leaves for extra insulation.

Harvest anything tender early if severe frost is forecast. Hardy greens like kale and chard will cope, but herbs and salads growing in pots should be moved to tunnels, conservatories and porches for extra protection.

Irish and seasonal: despite the depths of winter, a surprisingly wide variety of

vegetables are in season at this time of year, giving no excuse not to enjoy a full range of Irish vegetables this festive season.

Leafy greens: brussels sprouts, cabbage, chard, claytonia, endive, kale, oriental salads, red cabbage, spinach.

Roots and tubers: carrots, beetroot, celeriac, Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips and swedes.

Stored veg: onions, garlic and potatoes.

Stored fruit: apples and pears.

Herbs: chervil, coriander, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme.