Best mothers day garden gifts 2022: Top gardening present ideas for mum

Best: Overall

Rating: 9/10

A gardening tool belt is one of those items that you never knew you needed until you had it, according to our mum tester. Instead of getting muddy trouser pockets or having to make frequent trips back and forth to the shed, your giftee can keep her trowel, gardener’s string, secateurs and whatever else she needs right with her in the handy pockets. There’s an extra-large pocket, a couple of medium ones and smaller compartments for holding pens and small items. The waistband is adjustable and well-padded for comfort too.

But this gift is more than just a practical gardener’s aid, because it can be personalised to feature a name or message of your choice, which will hopefully stop dad from trying to use it as his own.

Best: Seeds gift

Rating: 8.5/10

Whether your mum is adept at gardening or a beginner, this kit has everything she needs to grow 30 bee- and butterfly-attracting plants. Inside the box are three seed packets (ours came with lavender, cornflower and delphinium), peat-free compost discs, a tray and clear step-by-step instructions on how to grow the gorgeous flowers. This charming kit could be something that mum could do with young children, if she wants.

We love that the tray is 100 per cent biodegradable, and there’s not a bit of plastic in sight. Sow Clever also donates 10 per cent of its net profit to the mental health charity Mind, so your mum will feel good knowing her gift is helping others too.

Best: Garden knife set

Rating: 8/10

This pro-quality knife set is for the serious gardener and will make them feel the business. Included is a folding saw with an apple green handle and a 12cm high-grade carbon steel blade, a plum-handled 8cm stainless steel garden knife and an 8.5cm stainless steel pruning knife in tangerine. All the handles are made from French beech and are smooth and comfortable to hold. And each knife features a virobloc safety locking ring that easily turns to lock the blade closed when they’re not in use. Gardening tasks will become a doddle for mum with this gift, and it looks the part presented in a wooden display box too.

Best: Garden mirror

Rating: 7.5/10

No matter the size of the garden, this mirror will add the illusion of space, depth and brightness. With its gothic church window-style design, it adds sophistication and character, and its rustic stone effect iron frame looks exceptionally stylish in well-established gardens.

It’s a beast of a mirror, measuring 112cm tall and 61cm wide, but that means it throws loads of light into the garden for an impressive effect. For safety, the glass is frost-protected, and it comes with brackets on the frame for installation in a spot of your choice (but that shouldn’t be too high because they can cause problems for birds).

Best: Gardening book gift

Rating: 8/10

When your mum isn’t working in the garden, she might want to be reading in it or about it to learn new tips and tricks, or expand her plant knowledge. If that’s the case, this book subscription service is a brilliant idea for Mother’s Day. Each month she’ll receive a parcel of between one and four pre-loved books suited for people of all gardening abilities and interests.

Our parcel came with four books, all in excellent condition. There was an RHS gardening by the month guide, an illustrated guide to wildlife gardening, The New Vegetable and Herb Expert and the stunning Gardenlust, which is a visual tour of the world’s best gardens. Once your mum has read the books, she can review them online, discuss with fellow readers and return them for free for the next person to enjoy.

This book subscription is a planet-friendly gift that prevents books from ending up in landfill or a pulper, and 1 per cent of all sales are donated to support the development of carbon removal technologies.

Best: Garden kneeler

Rating: 8.5/10

Gardening should be enjoyable and comfortable, so a top-quality kneeler is a must. This beautiful one from Acre & Holt is made from soft Scottish tweed that comes in either a camo design – the one we tested – or a chocolate brown herringbone. It has a loop handle, which also can be used to hang it up on a hook in the shed when it’s not in use, and the waterproof base stops the padding from getting wet. If it does need a wash or brush, you can unzip the cover from the padding.

This is one of the most well-made kneelers we’ve come across, and it manages to combine durability with soft fabric and deep padding to protect knees from hard or wet ground and rogue stones, while also looking fabulous.

Best: Pampering gift

Rating: 8.5/10

Spoil your mum this Mother’s Day by getting her a dreamy garden hammock for her to rest and read in. This brilliant one comes with its own frame, so there’s no need to find two perfectly positioned trees, and it is easy to put together, meaning she can be kicking back in no time. The striped cotton canvas has a retro feel, reminiscent of old-school deck chairs, and the thick rope and wood parts help it feel safe and sturdy. Best of all, it can be moved around the garden, allowing mum to follow the sun throughout the day. We think this is an excellent-value present that mums will really appreciate.

Best: For attracting wildlife

Rating: 7/10

This is one gift that can vastly improve a garden with zero effort. The Scandi-looking design of this cute bee hotel adds sophistication and a pop of vibrant yellow to corners of your mum’s outdoor space and hopefully attracts some local bees. It is handcrafted from solid 100 per cent Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood and features dozens of tiny cylinders that lonely bees could call home. The hotel can be placed on a surface or hung using the pre-drilled space on the back. The advice is to put it in a sunny, south-facing spot, and you could soon be welcoming mason bees and common yellow-faced bees to your garden.

Best: Potting table

Rating: 7.5/10

Do mum’s back a favour and gift her this adorable potting table that will mean she no longer has to hunch on low ground while potting plants. There’s a generous removable plastic tray soil, a handy drawer for keeping seed packets, and top and bottom shelves for plenty of storage. And because it has wheels, it can be moved around the garden to the perfect spot. We particularly like that the wood is sustainably sourced and is treated to protect against rot. This is the ideal planting workstation for green-fingered mothers.

Best: Garden light

Rating: 8/10

When the day is done and the sun has set, this gift will help your mum look from the window and see her work illuminated by a gentle glow. The black, birdcage-style design looks fantastic placed on a ledge or table or hung from a sturdy tree branch, and it’s perfect for evening alfresco dining or entertaining. Inside the cage is a retro-style filament bulb filled with a string of dainty LED fairy lights. Unlike some solar lights, it has an on/off switch and can be powered by AA batteries too.

Best: Mother’s Day card

Rating: 9/10

We all know that most greetings cards end up in the bin, but this one has potential. It doubles up as a plant pot with everything needed to grow edible pea shoots that are ready to harvest in about a fortnight. The letterbox-friendly envelope can be personalised with a special message for your mum and can either be delivered to you so that you can gift it to her on the day or sent directly to her if you’re not going to be seeing each other. It’s also super easy to use, and the packaging is widely recyclable.

Best: For caring for gardening hands

Rating: 8/10

After a long, grubby day in the garden, this gift will help your mum take care of her hardworking hands. The handmade sugar hand scrub is rich in essential oils that leave hands nourished and softened, while the grains help remove mud and dirt. The scent is an invigorating blend of citrusy verbena and earthy black pepper, and it leaves hands smelling beautiful. What’s also lovely about this present is that it comes packaged in a gorgeous gift box that also includes an adorably small wooden spoon for mixing and applying the scrub.