All sorts of garden craft techniques can be used to create unique holiday gifts for gardeners.

Those with carpentry skills can create one-of-a-kind wooden bird houses and bird feeders. These can be adorned with gingerbread-type trims, steeples, or cupolas. Be sure and use durable outdoor paints, such as the Deco Art Patio Paints or the Folk Art Outdoor Opaque lines. These paints are permanent, UV-resistant, and weatherproof. For feeders, be sure these are easy to empty and scrub clean. Good hygiene is essential for the birds’ health.

For those who garden indoors or have outdoor containers, embellish some terra cotta pots with various craft techniques. Patio Paints work very well for this. You can also add beads for an accent. String the beads onto garden twine and wrap this around the flower pot just under the rim. Then, tie or hot glue this in place. Mosaics or pebbles can also be used to decorate pots.

Create a set of decorative plant pokes for gifts. These can be easily constructed with bits of wood. You can choose a year-round garden motif or a seasonal one, such as Christmas themes. Often, these feature flowers, butterflies, garden birds, or seasonal figures, such as snowmen or scarecrows.

Those with an interest in mosaics can create all sorts of decorative or functional garden gifts. North Light Books/F & W has published a very helpful book with suitable garden projects. “Tiles Gone Wild-New Directions in Mixed-Media Mosaics” by Chrissie Grace features 20 delightful projects, many of which will be of interest to gardeners. This has step by step, easy to follow, color illustrated instructions for all of the basic techniques as well as for the projects. There are also templates for each project.

These projects are made with all sorts of materials from handmade clay tiles to stained glass, bottle caps, paper, PVC pipes, and brick pavers. Gardeners will especially like the garden art, stepping stones, welcome mat, wall art, and the tables. All of these garden projects make great gardening gifts.

“Memories and Milestones” by Debbie Mumm has all sorts of projects that would make great gardening gifts. Published by Leisure Arts, this has complete, color illustrated, step by step directions for all of the projects as well as the techniques. As with most of Mumm’s other titles, this features things for the garden as well as quilting projects. One of the projects is a lovely bead-decorated planter.

Mumm also shows how to create lovely fabric greeting cards. Made with fusible web and fabric, these would be great for garden gifts. These require no sewing skills unless you choose to embellish them with buttons. For each project, this has a list of fabrics and supplies, full size templates, a fabric chart, and cutting chart. Layouts show how to assemble the quilt tops. Among the garden quilts and sewing projects are a flower pillow, wall hangings, and banners as well as other quilts with pansies and other flower motifs.