As the festive season of 2025 approaches, Perth's passionate gardeners are dreaming of gifts that truly nurture their love for the soil. Celebrated gardening expert Sabrina Hahn has curated a thoughtful list of present ideas, perfect for the green thumbs in your life, with options to suit every budget from $30 to $300.
Beyond the Plant: Gifts That Give Back
For those deeply connected to their garden, the most cherished gifts often involve enriching the earth itself. Hahn, an obsessive gardener, suggests that offerings like a trailer load of compost, a bucket of composting worms, or premium mulch are deeply appreciated. These presents actively support the garden's ecosystem, benefiting millions of microscopic soil fungi, bacteria, and protozoa. It's a gift that genuinely gives back to nature.
If you're hesitant to give a living plant, Hahn offers a clever alternative. Consider gifting a beautiful pot paired with a bag of quality potting mix, allowing the gardener to select their own perfect plant later. This removes the pressure of keeping a specific gift plant alive.
Practical Presents and Lasting Investments
High on the list of desirable items are durable, well-made gardening tools. Hahn strongly advises against purchasing cheap, poor-quality implements. Many plastic tools lack UV stabilisation, and inexpensive spades often bend or break. Her top recommendation is for handcrafted Japanese steel secateurs, available in 180mm and 200mm sizes, which she has used reliably for years. These range in price from $115 to $240. Orders through japanesetools.com.au must be placed by Friday, 19 December 2025 for Christmas delivery.
For a gift that keeps on giving, a voucher from a local nursery is a fail-safe option. Available from $20 to $500, it allows the recipient to choose their own plants, pots, or garden accessories like bird baths and sculptures.
Gifts of Knowledge and Conservation
For West Australian gardeners facing unique climatic challenges, Hahn's own book, How To Do It In The Garden, is an invaluable resource. Priced at $49.95, it addresses local conditions that eastern states publications often overlook. It's available from all good bookstores and Fremantle Press.
Art lovers might appreciate a beautifully illustrated 2026 botanical calendar by renowned artist Philippa Nikulinsky, with prices from $29 to $37. For a truly meaningful present, consider a donation in the recipient's name to Carnaby's Crusaders, a not-for-profit dedicated to saving WA's native black cockatoos from extinction.
The Ultimate Gift: Time and Labour
Perhaps the most generous gift of all, according to Hahn, costs nothing but time. Offering to spend half a day helping with garden chores—be it weeding, spreading mulch, planting, or pruning—is an act of kindness that any gardener would treasure.
Sabrina Hahn's Weekly Gardening Tips:
For gardeners looking at their own December tasks, Hahn suggests three key jobs. First, plant white cosmos to brighten the garden with contrasting flowers. Second, look for native bees in the blossoms of Angophora costata trees over the coming summer months. Third, raise your lawnmower blades as the weather heats up to help conserve precious soil moisture.
For more gardening advice, questions can be submitted to 'Ask Sabrina' for her column Green With Envy in The West Australian, via post to GPO Box D162, Perth, 6001, or by email to home@wanews.com.au.
