Gardenista Gift Guide: For the Naturalist

Maybe it’s the heavy scent of fir and pine in the air. Or maybe it’s because December is when you get a good look at what was hiding under all those leaves and flowers. I know I’m not the only one filling my pockets this month with acorns; here are a few gifts for the winter naturalist who comes home with bits of bark and smooth dark rocks and the last red leaf:

N.B.: To make sure we’ve got everyone on your list covered, see all of our gift guides to date in our House Gifts section.

Above: Washi tape. OK, not technically a tool you use outdoors, but ask yourself: what can’t washi tape do?I got mine from Summer House in Mill Valley. Online, you can find a 10-meter-long roll of Kamoi Kakoshi Co.’s Animal Paper Washi Adhesive Tape, decorated with chipmunks, rabbits, deer, and the like, is available, via Etsy sellers, for $6.50 from Memtree or for $7.20 from Washimatta.

Above: Display a specimen—or your favorite seashell, or an air plant—in a 10-inch-tall Single Glass Jar on a pedestal; it’s $82 from Minam.

Above: Found in an old trunk, still wrapped in tissue paper, a trove of vintage educational posters printed in Denmark in the 1940s, sets of six Danish Seed Prints feature different seeds, beans, or grasses. Each poster measures approximately 19 inches wide and 26 inches wide; prices for a collection range from £180 to £320 at Whippet Grey.

Above: Dry plant specimens for an herbarium with a 10-by-6-inch Standard Flower Press Kit. It comes with two MDF boards, eight sheets of card, 15 sheets of blotting paper, bolts, wing nuts, washers, and instructions: £7.95 from Fred Aldous. In the US, an 11.75-by-8.75-inch Flower Press kit is $24.95 from Gardener’s Supply.

Above: A sturdy Triple 3X Folding Loupe allows you to examine specimens at three magnifications: 3x, 6x, and 9x. It measures 2 inches by 1.5 inches by 1 inch; $92 from Deutsche Optik. Another option is the Donegan Triple Folding Magnifier (with magnificatons of 5x, 10x, and 15 x)); $15.95 from Amazon.