Gardeners are so easy to shop for — and you don’t have to brave the crowded parking lots at the mall this time of year.

I like to support small local businesses such as my fave Ko’olau Farmers. The staff is knowledgeable and well trained to help guide you in gift selection.

Here a few gift ideas for the gardeners in your life:

>> Potted herbs. Buy or grow herbs such as basil, rosemary, parsley, lemon grass or ginger — perfect for your foodie friends.

>> Potted Cook pines. Grow them to have a locally grown Christmas tree. The little ones make cute gifts. Once planted outside, they can make a great backdrop for ohana pictures. You can mark time as keiki and the trees grow bigger and stronger every year.

>> Planting tools. I used to give my dad a nice sharp saw every Christmas, as he was prone to breaking them. Balling spades are a good kind of skinny planting shovel. We planted thousands of trees efficiently with them at Ho‘omaluhia Botanic Garden. It’s a useful tool, especially as more people want to help our earth by planting trees.

>> Plant a tree. Offer to plant one for your kupuna in their garden, and tend and care for it for the first year. Ulu, or breadfruit, is a good one; it’s such a gorgeous and productive tree. We can all plant more ohia lehua trees too. Planting them and keeping them healthy will help to perpetuate this legacy tree.

>> Boots and gloves. Rubber boots or spiked tabi are good now that our nourishing, cooling rains have returned. A flexible pair of gardening gloves to protect our lima (hands) is always useful.

>> Books by W.S. Merwin. Share the late lauded poet’s plant- and Hawaii-inspired books. Or support William and Paula Merwin and their ongoing legacy by joining the Merwin Conservancy. See merwinconservancy.org.

>> Give back to the land. Consider a gift in honor of a gardener that will benefit Hawaii, such as donations to the Trust for Public Lands (tpl.org), ‘Ohi‘a Legacy Initiative (ohialegacy.org) or Carbon Neutrality Challenge, which aims to make Hawaii the first carbon neutral place in the world by planting trees (gocarbonneutral.org)

>> Support our botanic gardens. Oahu’s botanic gardens always need more financial support and hands-on kokua.

Also, the Breadfruit Institute, which is part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, also could use your support. The institute promotes the conservation, study and use of breadfruit for food and reforestation.

Bonus: Through the end of 2019, outdoor clothing retailer Patagonia is matching gifts to the Breadfruit Institute. Surfers and athletes love this store for its well-made clothes and products, plus provisions for campers and hikers. This company walks the talk, and in comfortable hiking attire too! They have sponsored the BFI over the years.

The company will match any donation to the Breadfruit Institute up to $10,000. Go to 808ne.ws/breadfruit.

Heidi Bornhorst is a sustainable landscape consultant specializing in native, xeric and edible gardens. Reach her at heidibornhorst@gmail.com.