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By David Domoney

As we step into the season for giving, there are plenty of ways to make your loved ones smile with thoughtful gifts.

For those who need a little help to get gardening, there is a gift for them to keep gardening enjoyable and make it easier.

The festive season needn’t involve a mad rush to the shops, instead here are some ideas for a range of budgets to give to the garden and nature-lover in your life.

There’s huge joy in seeing beds and borders full of colourful plants that add texture, height, and interest to the garden. To get to the stage of borders that are bustling with blooms, we must dig holes for the bulbs and small plants.

To make this task easier, a bulb planter might be ideal because rather than digging with a trowel it involves pushing the tool into the soil, squeezing the handle to remove the area of soil, leaving a hole for the bulb or small plant to be firmed in place.

A top tool that is recommended for all gardeners with disability is a kneeler stool which takes some of the strain out of gardening. Depending on the recipient’s needs, there are varieties that can be used as seats as well as a kneeler. Finding one at the right height, padding and handles will allow your loved ones to comfortably garden with the right support, so they can enjoy the joy of the outdoors for longer.

Gripping aids can make it easier to hold items more firmly. These adjust to the shape of your hand and wrist making it easier to grip items such as rakes, shovels, and trowels. These are particularly useful for those who have reduced hand function and the use of these grips will help to reduce strain in the hand, wrist and arm when gardening.

For gardeners with difficulty bending or carrying out tasks from a seated position, long reach tools such as a fork, cultivator, trowel, and hoe can make these jobs simpler. Carrying out tasks from a stool, chair or wheelchair using lightweight, long-handled tools will allow comfort and functionality.

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Support cuffs can support weak hands or wrists

Similar to above, a support cuff is useful for those who use one hand, have weak hands and wrists or visual impairments. These cuffs can be added on to the long reach items as well as the Easi-Grip® tools. Not only will it act as arm support, but it will allow you to use your forearm strength as well.

Sowing seeds is a great way of growing flowers, fruit, veg and herbs from scratch, and it is a joy to watch them germinate and grow. However, sowing tiny seeds can be a fiddly activity at times. Therefore, a push button seed sower will let gardeners accurately sow by filling the barrel with seeds and pressing the button to release them one by one.

Push button seed sower
Push button seed sower

Gardening is for everyone, and Thrive have loads of advice and recommended products on the Get Gardening section of this website, to make gardening accessible and easier for disabled gardeners.

Equipment like grips and handles, and specialised tools for weeding, digging, and planting could be a great gift to encourage loved ones to get back into the garden with methods that make it easier and more enjoyable.

No matter what your budget is, there's nothing like giving a gift and making someone feel special. So, hopefully these ideas have given you some inspiration on what to buy the gardener or nature-lover in your life to spread some Christmas cheer.

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