Tag: gifts for gardeners

Devonia Plant Fertilizer Sticks

Birthday Gifts, Children, Father's Day, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home, Home & Garden, Spring, Summer

Disclaimer – We have received this item for free or on a loan basis for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

This is a gardening hack for all gardeners, whether you’ve been gardening for years or if you’re a beginner! Devonia’s fertilizer spikes and sticks are nutrient dense sticks which feed plants at the roots over time, releasing food and providing magnesium and iron too.  Easy to use, the sticks are just popped into the ground or pot next to the plant.

The nutrients are pre-measured so using the directions on the back of the packs, work out how many sticks are needed for the size of pot. There are a variety of sticks to choose from too, including the tomatoes & vegetables, Boarders & bedding plants and even for individual plants like olive trees, lavender and orchids. You have to push them below soil level and on the opposite side of the pot to the plant but after that, just water them and see the plant thrive. They last all season long from spring to autumn but I would recommend changing them out for the next spring to get the full benefit of them.

These are great gifts for gardeners too, or anyone who is growing plants indoors. I’ve used them for my indoor plants and a few seedlings which are just starting to grow now. 

Available online from £6.49: https://devonialondon.co.uk/product/flower-bed-border-bedding-plant-food-sticks/

Plant With Willow Starter Pack

Birthday Gifts, Children, Family Life, Home & Garden, Spring, Summer, Tech

Disclaimer – We have received this item for free or on a loan basis for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Put some technology into your plant care with the Plant With Willow Starter Pack.  Using the Plant With Willow probe, hub and an app on your phone, you can be alerted whenever your plant is in need of care.  We tested out the technology, which was totally new to me and I’m a gardener, to see if it worked!

The instructions are relatively easy and once the app is set up it looks after itself.  There is a QR code on the front of the box which you scan with your phone and the app downloads. The app walks you through all the steps for setup, including identifying the plant which the probe is going to monitor. If you don’t know what the plant is, there’s provision to take photos of the leaves and flowers and the app will look it up for you. I have a peach tree that needs a lot of water so I was keen to use Plant With Willow to help look after it.

The app can also help with sick plants, teach you how to look after each identified plant, set up schedules including watering and fertilizing and monitor milestones.  The setup screen go on to help you pair the probe with the hub and to use the wifi in your house, then sends you notifications on your phone to tell you when the plant needs watering, more light or moisture.

For when you are on holiday or not at home like being back in the office every day, this is really useful. It has a huge depth of information to draw on as well to tell you how to care for your plants. I think this is especially good for new plant owners or if you have a new plant which you don’t know how to identify or don’t know how to care for and could do with the prompts. I think it would be especially good for children so that they learn how to care for something that rewards them, such as a fruit tree or plants such as strawberries, and has a very low risk factor too. It’s also great fun watching your plants thrive!

Available from £34.99 at: https://plantwithwillow.co.uk

She Grows Veg Valentines Gifts

Birthday Gifts, Children, eco friendly, Family Life, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home, Spring, Valentine's Day Gifts, Vegan, Vegetarian

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Probably not your first thought for the typical Valentines present, but let me explain She Grows Veg to you and it will start to make sense!

She Grows Veg is an online seed company with a very modern, yet traditional twist. They sell seeds online, but they are heirloom seeds. That means the seeds are cultivated from rare varieties of vegetables, fruits, flowers and trees and are typically not found in your usual garden centres. This means that the varieties often have different looks, taste different and grow differently to what you might be used to. It’s an expanding industry where so many people are now getting into gardening especially growing their own food since lockdown. 

She Grows Veg sell singular packets of seeds, but they also sell gift bags, like the two that were sent to us; Chilli Trio and Tomato Lover’s Bundle (£22.50). If you or your other half are gardeners, you’ll know that this is an excellent selection of seeds for someone who loves growing, especially growing and eating!

The Chilli Trio contains 3 different chilli seeds; Biquinho Red, Chocolate Habanero and Machu Pichu. On the back of each pack are the growing instructions and key facts, along with a QR code to find out more on a You Tube video. You can see from the photos on the packets what you’re getting, and helpfully, the instructions on the back tell you what kind of flavour each chilli is and how to use it. The Biquinho Red chillis are from Brazil and take a little longer to geminate but are worth it.  I’ve never grown chillis before but the instructions say to start sowing in January or February indoors, so these are perfect as Valentines gifts.

The Tomato Lover’s Bundle contain 5 packets of tomatoes, none of which I’ve ever seen before. There are three hanging varieties; Crazy Cherry (a sweet green tomato), Red Currant (small, early ripening and very sweet) and Hanging Prince (plum shaped and unusually last for months if stored correctly). The other two tomatoes are Black Beauty and Green Doctors, but of which are favourites of Lucy and Kate at She Grows Veg. Each of the gift bundles comes with a gift bag to keep your seeds safe but can also be used to store larger seeds later in the year. 

These are lovely gifts for Valentines and if you harvest the fruit right, they produce can go on for weeks in the summer. The fact that these seeds are heirloom and not easy to find anywhere else if at all, makes them all the more special as a gift.

Chilli Trio (£13): https://shegrowsveg.com/product/chilli-trio-with-gift-bag/Tomato Lover’s Bundle (£22.50): https://shegrowsveg.com/product/tomato-lovers-bundle/