Gifts for gardeners | Advisor.ca

You’ve got clients with green thumbs. One gift idea is to order branded seed packets from McKenzie Seeds. The minimum order is 1,000 packets for $400, plus an additional art fee of $50. Shipping and taxes are extra.

But since most people who start gardens from seed get underway in March, anything arriving later will be tossed aside and forgotten by the next planting season. Instead, try these options.

Low cost, high impact

$10/client

Lee Valley Tools, a cataloguer that ships across Canada, is a gardener’s go-to for tools and supplies. Gift certificates start at $10 and can be sent electronically, so clients can shop online or visit a local store. Consider buying elbow-length gloves that protect arms from thorns, poison ivy and muck at $9.50 a pair. Also, consider decorative glass watering globes that automatically water houseplants or garden patches. You can get one for $9.80, or pay $8.80 each if you buy four or more.

Read: The best (and worst) clients gifts

Medium cost, high impact

$30 to $99/client

Pure Rain in Oakville, Ont. offers a Small Area Sprinkler, which oxygenates water so plants grow better. It costs about $30 and can be ordered online. Or try a Haws deluxe watering can, which run $99 at Lee Valley Tools (MaxiKap and many higher-end garden stores also stock it). Heavyduty and ergonomic, it delivers water directly to the pot (rather than sprinkling it broadly) and is long enough to reach hanging baskets. The long neck also prevents spillage and its dual grip makes it easy to manipulate.

High cost, high impact

$349 and up/client

Do your clients need a wagon, garden cart or wheelbarrow? A Muller Smart Cart acts as all three. You can order it online, directly from the manufacturer, for $349. It’s also available at select Costco locations across Canada.

Or, if you want to really treat clients, send them to the Canada Blooms garden show, which takes place in Toronto each March. It’s the destination of choice for gardeners across the country. In 2014, a two-day pass cost $29, and included admission to the National Home Show. Rooms at the local Hyatt Regency average $205 per night for a business suite. Depending on when you book, round-trip flights from Vancouver to Toronto average $1,000. From Calgary to Toronto it’s about $930, and from Montreal to Toronto about $600.

You can also fly clients to Vancouver for the BC Home + Garden Show, which takes place each February at BC Place. Tickets are $12 to $15 per day. Or, send them to Halifax for the Saltscapes Expo, which happens every April and features more than 450 exhibitors. Single day tickets cost $12 and a weekend pass is $25.

For more, read:

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Lisa MacColl is an Ontario-based financial writer.