Get an early start on your holiday shopping. For those gardeners on your holiday shopping list, a visit to a nursery or garden center can provide all the garden gifts you need.

I highly recommend the Elan Designs flower cards. These lovely greeting cards have wildflower seeds embedded in the paper. After reading the card, the recipient can plant the paper, which is made from 100% recycled materials. The cards are printed with soy-based inks.

For those intrepid gardeners who love the outdoors, Rite in the Rain All-Weather Writing Paper makes an excellent gift. This contains 100% recycled post-consumer waste. Rite in the Rain papers are available in a range of formats and sizes. Include some of the All-Weather pens as well. Unlike most pens, these write upside down, on wet paper, and at any temperature.

Rite in the Rain also offers All-Weather copier paper is also available. This special paper means gardeners can copy or use a laser printer to create waterproof planting designs, garden blueprints, plant lists, labels, and the like.

For those who prefer pencils to pens, why not include some pencils made from recycled wood? Turn these pencils into a fashionable gift by wrapping them in attractive craft papers. All sorts of decorative papers with flower and plant motifs are available at craft stores. Cut the paper to fit the pencils, and use paper glue to hold these in place.

If your budget allows, consider useful things like potting benches and garden sheds. The old ramshackle sheds have been replaced with trendy, architectural models. Some of these are sold as kits that require assembly, while others are pre-assembled. Some kits even have a lattice-like cover over the potting bench.

For outdoor gardeners, a watering can is always a welcome gift. The styles and prices can range considerably. You can’t go wrong with a traditional, galvanized metal can. For funky, modernist gardens, there are gorgeous ones shaped like animals. Some gardeners even use these to decorate patios and porches. Examples include ones painted and decorated like cows, frogs, roosters, elephants, flamingos, toucans, and snails. The snail is classy enough for any style of garden.

Garden accents make excellent gardening gifts. These add decorative touches
to the garden. They come in most every assorted theme and style imaginable.

Garden gear and garden boots are practical gifts. The Slugger garden boots are completely waterproof. They can be hosed off when they get dirty. These are available in lovely printed patterns and a number of colors.

Every gardener needs the 2009 Baer’s Agricultural Almanac and Gardener’s Guide. Five year subscriptions are a very affordable gift. This is the 184th year this classic has been available to gardeners. Useful throughout the year, this is a treasure trove of useful information for gardeners and nature lovers. It has all sorts of helpful tables and charts, such as seed planting times, a fishing calendar, and scrumptious recipes. It also features in-depth weather forecasts as well as folklore, gardening and farm news.

Among the other useful gifts for gardeners are stationery, cards, and other items decorated with garden motifs. Galison is by far the best source around. They publish any sort of garden stationery, filing aids, and gift cards you could possibly want. There are styles and items to suit every need and taste. They also offer museum quality jigsaw puzzles in attractive, cube-shaped gift boxes. Gardeners will especially like the Van Gogh Sunflower puzzle.