easy Great DIY Gifts
Easy DIY Garden Gifts that won’t break the bank. Create these one-of-a-kind gifts for friends and family. Here are some easy handmade gifts that will make you a rockstar!
These easy, great DIY garden gifts are a wonderful way to make something for a friend or loved one. What makes them even better is they are affordable to build and make.
Most of these projects cost $50 or less so grab your tools and let’s get started.
Update:(lumber prices have increased dramatically in 2021, so this statement may be no longer accurate)
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Obelisk Arbor
1.Obelisk Arbor
This is so easy you can make it in a day.
See how to build the obelisk arbor here.
Paint it any color you like and if you want to make it extra special, buy a plant or seeds for a vertical growing plant that will cover it in sweet blooms.
Click here to see what is on my wishlist to plant by my Arbor.
Handmade wood grow box
This is great for growing salad greens or herbs.
Include a packet of seeds (see #6 below for ideas) and a bag of potting soil to make the gift complete. Paint it any way you like.
I love the mixes from Botanical Interests
Build a Garden Bench
3. Farmhouse Victorian Garden Bench or Sweetheart Bench
The first bench I have called the Sweetheart Bench is a super easy one to build. Then I painted it with pink roses and I share that painting lesson over on my painting lesson website.
You can keep it more rustic and stain the wood or create an aged appearance with this method of Aging New Wood to Look Old
The second bench is a fun victorian inspired plant and it has the luscious curves and details that make it a hit. I call this one a Farmhouse Victorian Garden Bench.
Both of these designs would be a hit and you can paint them any color or with various designs to match your decor. They look great indoors as well.
Build two and keep one yourself, they are so easy and fun!
DIY rustic toolbox
4. Rustic Toolbox for a Planter
These are so popular and you can see why!
They make a great planter or even a centerpiece. You can also use it to hold utensils at your backyard bbq or picnic, it is just an all-around useful project.
It is so easy to build you will love it. This is another project that could make a great gift because you could fill it with tools, seeds and some potting soil for a great gift basket idea.
easy Potting Bench
5. Potting Bench from Fence Boards
Yes, even this beauty cost us under $50 to build.
I still have this sitting on my back deck and we built it over 8 years ago. It is a great place to set drinks and food in the summer when we bbq on the back deck and have friends over.
I decorate it each season with plants as we can view it through our large glass sliding door in our dining room.
I have painted it different colors through the years with different paints. My favorite was the Annie Sloans Chalk Paint. It ages so gracefull and didn’t peel.
Faux chalk paint and milk paint did not do well and looked shabby in short order. So real chalk paint it is from now on on this potting bench!
You can find this on Amazon and knock off chalk finish paints don’t work the same. I know because I have tried them. So do yourself a favor and find a local stockist and get some of the Annie Sloan Chalk paint.
No build gifts
6. Don’t feel like building anything?
I love the boxed collections of Botanical Interests fantastic seeds.
I grow their seeds all the time, in fact I had so many Alyssum plants this year I was giving them away after filling all my pots and garden! All from one packet of seeds.
Any gardener would love to get one!
You can paint something!
7. Create a DIY hand painted sign and Paint it!
Edible gift
8. the BEST home made Granola! Jar it up and let your friends enjoy.
More DIYs
10. Garden Obelisk
We have built a few of these and they are still standing and doing their job beautifully after 8 plus years.
11. I couldn’t leave out my favorite DIY gift I have ever received. I know this is a dream of many women to have one and I have the detailed plans available here. Build your own She Shed aka Crafting Cottage
I use mine mostly as my painting studio. I can’t tell you enough how much I love my little space to get away to paint and run my business!
Do you want more ideas?
More DIY Gift Ideas
Brick Garden Markers
Butterfly Stepping Stones
Paint Bars of Soap
Happy Building and Gift Giving!
This is brilliant! I was looking for something to gift my sis-in-law on her birthday; she’s a DIY-Gardening-Rock painting kinda girl. The ideas on the list seem perfect. I’ll probably gift her a hand-painted planter. Thanks 🙂
I am so glad this helped. My mom paints on rocks, I should share some things she has painted for me. I have a rock fawn on my front porch.
I love painted rocks! My Pinterest is full of inspiration. Please share your pictures, I’d love to draw some more inspiration 🙂
Great ideas! Preplanted herb gardens will be my choice!
I would like to see this post on the DIY for gardeners. However, only skin care ads were there. Even getting rid of the “x” did not help.
Thank you, Barbara for letting me know, I will relate this to the ad company that runs the ads.
I did bring up the diy post and love all of them. Yes, please feature the rock paintings. Since I live in hot and humid southwest Florida, please advise type of paint to use.
Thank you,
Barbara Underwood
Hi Barbara. With the rock paintings you can use the Plaid Folk Art Outdoor paint. It works well and if you seal the entire rock with Rustoleum Spar Urethane Exterior (waterbased), not just the painted part, it will last much longer. Or if you keep it in a sheltered area, like on your porch or veranda. I am testing out the Plaid Folk Art Multi Surface which is supposed to work just as well and on many surfaces. The stepping stones I have done are with regular craft acrylics and sealed with the Rustoleum and I left them out all winter in the harsh weather, they have done just great.
You have some very cute garden ideas. Enjoyed visiting.
Big Texas Hugs,
Susan and Bentley
Thank you, Susan. I am glad you enjoyed them. DIY garden stuff is one of my favorites. 🙂
Hi Pamela,
That potting/fence/bench is going to be in my garden as soon as spring comes! That is such a great idea and fairly easy to put together. Thank you for sharing these fun and useful ideas.
Have learned so much from your site and am trying the geranium “saves” so will let you know how it goes come spring.
Hugs for the holidays and so looking forward to your next article.
Mimsie in Northern Virginia Z7, where we may get icy “stuff” tonight!
Hi Pamela,
I like DIY she shed..Thank you for sharing awesome ideas.