Bring the Garden Party to Father's Day

Father's Day was always a challenge for me. Dad didn’t have any hobbies so his gifts were never biting-my-nails exciting.

If I asked Mom, “What should I get for Dad?” I would usually be told that he could use some new T-shirts or how about a belt. How about a wallet? He rarely wore ties, so no ties. Socks? Socks! But if you have a dad that loves to be in the yard and loves to work in the yard, I have some ideas.

For very young children

Very young children can give great gifts to Dad. With the help of Mom, little ones can pick out a new tool to use. Unlike Moms, who might cry foul if they get a new vacuum for Mothers’ Day, dads love tools, big and small.

Vego Garden has some cool gifts, like a new planter for the front porch, a compost bin, or a bag that hangs on the side of a bed for his tools. Dads love to have specific places for specific tools.

Or perhaps it is as simple as a new trowel, since little Bobby left the trowel in the driveway after he finished making his mud pies and the trowel was destroyed when Dad ran it over.

Dad’s gift doesn’t have to be just a thing. Perhaps Dad would simply prefer to spend time in the garden together.

Projects with Dad are fun for everyone. How about a bird house kit? Dad can put together the birdhouse with some help and the kids can paint it before the family decides where to hang it.  A bee house kit can work the same way. If your child wants to take a little more ownership, a promise to help seed, weed or water for a day, a week or longer, depending on the child’s age, would greatly aid Dad in his gardening chores.

Preteens eager to please

Too late for this year, but a youngster can have a secret project, growing a gift for Dad.

Strawberries are harvested in June. Little Susy can get a new strawberry plant in early spring and tend to and nurture the plant until Fathers’ Day, just in time to pick a big juicy strawberry! They can plant it in the ground together. Suzy can grow a pepper plant, or any of Dad’s favorites, either in a remote spot in the yard or at a neighbor’s house so that it will be ready to burst by Fathers’ Day.

If you want to encourage kids to use their own money, they can buy some seeds for the garden or a plant, a flower or vegetable. Dads are worthy of the best gifts ever, but money doesn’t have to be an issue.

If you have a gaggle of children and live in a shoe, the smallest of gifts can be from the whole brood. Let’s face it, if you live in a shoe, you know how to make due.

Sidenote: A white or red rose is the official flower for Father's Day. Wear a white rose to honor a father who is deceased, and a red rose for a father who is living. 

Older children

Older children have a little more agency and can be resourceful and creative.

Before handing your child a plan on a silver platter (or in a bushel basket), ask them if they have any ideas for gifts Dad would love. Kids may think their very good idea is “stupid.”

Affirm and guide and you may be pleasantly surprised. Of course, when kids act on their own ideas, they build confidence and will beam with joy when Dad receives the gift. Sure, this goes for younger kids too! If they draw a blank, Mom can offer some suggestions.

I really like the idea of a coupon book. Older kids understand responsibility and commitment. There are always outdoor chores. And this will work well even if Dad hasn’t yet discovered his inner gardener. The lawn needs to be mowed, the car needs to be washed, maybe firewood needs to be stacked.

Adults giving to dads

Most dads spend their adult lives devoted to their children, even when they don’t show up to dance recitals or baseball games. As adults, we finally have the wherewithal to give back to Dad in meaningful ways.

One year, my family bought my dad a John Deere tractor. When Dad got older, I didn’t like seeing him working so hard in the yard and was planning on getting him a Dr. Leaf Vac, but he beat me to it and got himself a Cyclone Leaf Rake. 

We can serve Dad in amazing ways as adults on Fathers’ Day. We don’t have to buy a big-ticket item like a John Deere. We can buy a flat of annuals and plant them for Dad. Maybe Dad has had his hands in the dirt for a long time, low to the ground. We can buy Dad a tall raised bed and install it for him, to alleviate those weary knees and sore back.

A "Giving Tree" 

My favorite idea for Dad is a new “Giving Tree.”

Most of us are familiar with Shel Silverstein’s book “The Giving Tree.” In the book, the tree gives so much, it gives until there is nothing left. We don’t have to go that far. If Dad loves fruit, we can pony up a couple blueberry bushes, even in containers, or columnar apple trees. If your dad is kind of nutty, then how about a pecan or hazelnut tree (or trees for cross pollination). Maybe he is into ornamentals. You get the idea. The possibilities are endless.

For the non-gardening dads

Plenty of us have non-gardening dads, but we gardeners love our gardening ways to overflow into the lives of those we love.

We can use the best coupon book of all, gifts from our own gardens, weekly or monthly. Maybe we give a gift basket filled with yummy treats from the local farmers’ market: Jellies, Jams, peanut brittle, apple pie for baking, crunchy pickles, and maybe some maple syrup. We can bring Dad into the garden or bring the garden to Dad.