Unique Gifts for Nature Lovers at Botanical Garden Shops

Your purchase from a botanic garden helps these organizations with their mission of research, education, native plant preservation and, in these complicated times, providing a safe place to be outdoors. If there's a garden near you, see if it sponsors holiday events, such as the Galaxy of Lights at the Huntsville Botanical Garden in Huntsville, Alabama.

Meanwhile, if you need a few more gifts, here's a sample of what you can find shopping online from five gardens across the United States, from West Coast to East Coast.

Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Garden, San Marino, California

Website: www.huntington.org/shop 

Phone number: 626-405-2142

The Huntington's gardens, near Pasadena, spread over 207 acres and include a Japanese house and extensive children's gardens. Besides marmalade ($8.95 for a 10-ounce jar), its shop sells pendants ($35) and earrings ($35) in the shape of leaves from the garden's iconic ginkgo trees. It also showcases the work of toile artist Mariko Jesse, who created an exclusive design based on the Huntington's plants that's featured on products ranging from china tea sets ($150) to fans ($8.95)

Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix

Website: https://gardenshop.dbg.org/

Phone: 480-526-8890

This 140-acre garden was founded in 1939 to preserve the desert landscape, so its shop specializes in desert-themed gifts, whether that's a stackable mug ($15) with a watercolor cactus motif or mixed cactus seeds ($2.95) for creating a dish garden. Or you could try the locally sourced foods, like the Prickly Pear Salad Dressing ($9.99 for 12 ounces).

Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis

Webiste: https://shop.missouribotanicalgarden.org/

Phone: 314-577-5137

Founded in 1859 and located in St. Louis, this is the United States’ oldest botanical garden in continuous operation. Store director Amy Skrabacz said the most popular online order is the calendar ($10), which is like a 12-month Technicolor tour of the garden at its best. Or order something — maybe the orange curry bars — from Herbal Cookery: From the Kitchens and Gardens of the St. Louis Herb Society ($29.95).

Huntsville Botanical Garden, Huntsville, Alabama

Website: https://www.shophsvbg.org/

Phone: 256-830-4447

This 120-acre property features a space garden, since it's a neighbor of several NASA facilities, and its shop offers items that are “mission-based,” said Donna Parsons, director of guest services. That means products that are educational, made of natural materials or locally made. This year a Huntsville jewelry company, LJ Sonder, designed the Branch Necklace ($50) for the shop. It comes in gold plate or silver and carries the sentiment, “Like branches we may grow in different directions, but our roots remain the same.” The site's ordering system is a work in progress and for now offers only curbside pickup; to order items to be shipped, contact the shop at giftshop@hsvbg.org or 256-830-4447, ext. 221.

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami

Website: https://fairchildgarden.org/visit/shop/

Phone: 305-667-1651, Ext. 8

This 83-acre garden is named after plant collector and explorer David Fairchild, who was one of its cofounders. Its store is focused on the garden's role in native plant conservation, said Nannette Zapata, chief operating officer. Fairchild's Million Orchid Project engages schoolchildren in a project to propagate native orchid species that are then planted in the wild, she said. In that spirit, the store sells a collection of bowls and tea lights ($40-$280) by artist Emilio Robba featuring silk orchid blooms that look as if they are floating in glass.