Weather watcher
Good gardening relies on the weather. It's an old-fashioned trick, but a barometer is a fundamental guide to understanding the changes and vagaries of nature. To understand whether the plants need to be watered, or if storm clouds are incoming, look to the stylish Arne Jacobsen barometer. Or, if your father is more of a gadget man, then the Netatmo weather station is a smart solution.
All the gear
When the rain holds off, fathers head outside and do some digging. Encourage them to dress the part of a super gardener with a tough gardener's canvas bib and a pair of sturdy French secateurs tucked into the pocket. Then arm them with this insect hotel so they can save our ecosystem, bug by bug. For back-up, look no further than these gadgets: an automatic sprinkler system, robotic lawnmower and a Garden Watch Cam, for keeping an eye on any villainous activity.
Plant away
Any one of these is plants would be a good present that will get dads out into the garden.
- Busy lizzie: a sweet plant at an accessible price point, full of pretty flowers.
- Sweet pepper: rewarding the grower with tasty salad vegetables.
- Anise hyssop: a licorice plant for attracting visitors to the bug hotel.
- Jade plant: an easy beginner plant for would-be gardeners.
- Verbena: invites butterflies into the garden.
- Rockfoil: a hardy plant that flourishes in difficult spots.
Maybe all the fathers you know already have the garden looking ship-shape. In that case, introduce them to the joys of indoor gardening. Check out our five hardy indoor plants that would each be a perfect gift for Father's Day.
