Spring ’22 Sustainable Gift Guide

To celebrate the official start of spring, I want to share with you a fun little spring gift guide, for yourself or the favorite gardener in your life. I’m refreshing my vase collection for the arrival of flowering branches and treating myself to a fresh pair of beautiful Japanese pruners. I’m also loving the little bud vases from Bloomist for those stray beautiful flowers I see on my neighborhood walks. 

1. Bloomist Bud Vase: There’s always one stray little flower that toppled in a rain storm that just has to be saved for another week in your home, right? This vase comes from Erin Reitz who designs these pieces in her hometown, Charleston, South Carolina, and oversees their production by Starworks NC, a facility in Star, North Carolina. Star, population 876, was devastated by the decline of the hosiery mills that had sustained the local labor force for generations. Now, local artisans work on collections like Erin’s, creating a new tradition of elevated goods, handmade in the U.S.
2. Compost Bucket: You know you want to start composting this year and you know it doesn’t have to be gross and ugly. You can read all about how easy it is to compost at home on my blog post here.
3. Terra Cotta Frog Vase: My mother gifted me this little cutie last year and I just love everything about it. Use it year-round with fresh and dried flowers. This piece is made by Holland Millis, a former Peace Corps volunteer from North Carolina, Holland Millis has worked with skilled craft-workers in Honduras for decades; his work there for Aid to Artisans merited coverage in the New York Times. Now, he leads the Atuto group in Sabanagrande, Honduras, which produces pieces made from clay, metal, stone, fiber, and wood — including the wood chains, made from salvaged wood, that Atuto now produces for Bloomist.
4. My favorite sunhat: There are two things I really love about this hat. The first is the ability to tighten the strings so that your hat doesn’t fly away on windy gardening days. The second is that it’s completely foldable and packable to double as your sunny vacation sunhat. It’s lightweight while being strong enough to handle a long day in the sun.
5. Japanese Floral Scissors: We had a pair of these beautiful metal scissors growing up and when I was asked to go snip some last minute goodies from the garden, I always chose them. They just feel good in your hands and they’ll last forever. They are designed and produced entirely in Japan by metal artisans in Tsubame-Sanjo, an area famous for its metal and wood works.
6. Lion’s Mouth Snapdragon Seeds: I’ve been growing this gorgeous blend of snapdragons for years. They’re a mix of pastels, that even throughout each stem have an ombre of colors. They’re surprisingly hardy in our area and some of mine have even made it through the winter when we have plenty of insulating snow. These are a must-have if you have little ones around. When you gently pinch a bloom by the sides, it opens wide and looks like a lion’s mouth. My niece giggles every time and then we have to do it 100 times.
7. Novah pitcher: Handmade by craftsmen in New Delhi, India, this pitcher can be used with both fresh and dried flowers, or as a pitcher for your next gathering. I’m going to use mine for gathering flowering branches this spring, and then for a big batch of switchel in the summer.
8. Bee’s Wrap: I love this brand! Everything on their site is a lovely alternative to single-use plastic wrap. Some products are made from beeswax as well as other vegan alternatives. They’re a certified B corp family woman-owned business. I’m particularly excited to use mine to cover bowls of food for beach picnics and to wrap sandwiches for road trips.
9. A Garden Can Be Anywhere Book: A little gardening inspo for anyone hoping to have their own garden, or just looking for some fresh ideas. Author Lori Kranz founded Edible Gardens LA where she helps home gardeners, chefs, restaurants and schools maintain their own beautiful edible garden.

Please let me know what you think!
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