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DonatePublished on November 27, 2024 by Laura Iruegas
Holiday shopping doesn’t have to mean supporting fast fashion! This giving season, we encourage you to find gifts you can feel good about.
If you’ve read our sustainable shopping guide, you’ll know that the Evergreen Garden Market is a great place to find sustainable goods made by local, small-batch creators, artisans and craftspeople. That’s why we’re thrilled to share this gift guide curated by the extraordinary Michelle Zeppieri, Assistant Manager of the Evergreen Garden Market!
Whether you’re shopping for a young nature lover, a seasoned gardener or a local foodie, we’ve got you covered with thoughtful gifts that are conscious of the health of people and the planet.
The Evergreen Garden Market is every urban gardener’s dream! Did you know that Evergreen Garden Market offers the largest selection of native plants in Toronto? Surprise the gardener in your life with a gift card to our market this season. When spring rolls around, they’ll be thrilled to come by and pick up some native plants.
The Garden Market also carries a range of reference books, including the beloved A Garden for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee: Creating Habitat for Native Pollinators (Ontario and Great Lakes Edition) by Lorraine Johnson and Sheila Colla.
The Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants of the Southern Great Lakes Region is another great resource, which includes images of each native plant at the seed harvest stage along with a germination legend. Give the gift of knowledge and help them learn to save their own native seeds!
Looking for a thoughtful gift for someone who loves curling up with tea, a scented candle, a chunky scarf and a good book? Come check out hand-poured aromatic soy wax and beeswax candles, like Terradomi Candle Co’s’ Fig & Brown Sugar’ candle for a warm, inviting scent, or bring the forest indoors with The Good Wax’s ‘Boreal’ candle.
Help the people in your life stay cozy this winter with a warm cup of locally foraged tea from Tibos Teas or an organic herbal blend from Wild By Nature. Plus, check out the Garden Market’s selection of beautifully hand-woven scarves and hats.
When you step into the Evergreen Garden Market, you’ll discover a treasure trove of delicious, locally sourced treats and handcrafted goods that any foodie will adore. Consider the Mushaboom Salt Blend from Grounded Pantry, which beautifully highlights the umami of chanterelle mushrooms.
Pair it with the delicious Pear Ginger Jam from Spade and Spoon—an elegant and tasty combination that’s sure to impress. To top it off, combine a jar of Heritage Bee’s triple lemon creamed honey and Oshun’s Apothecary’s Gut-Feeling tea blend. Watch the foodie in your life smile from ear to ear!
Looking for the ideal gift for the avid birder or nature enthusiast in your life? If they’re always gazing skyward or pausing on hiking trails to identify new plants and mushrooms, we have just what you need!
Explore our selection of stunning bird photography prints featuring raptors, waterfowl, wading birds, songbirds, and more. If you’re encouraging a beginner birder, the “Sibley Backyard Birding Flashcards” make a fantastic choice. Don’t forget to visit our book section, where you’ll find a wide array of pocket guides and reference books for bird, mushroom, and plant identification. Perfect for the naturalist in your life!
Nurturing curiosity and a love for nature from an early age can be both fun and educational! Consider giving gifts that inspire wonder and connection with the natural world, like the Monarch Butterfly Life Cycle Floor Puzzle by Cobble Hill (appropriate for ages 3+), a beautifully illustrated activity exploring the fascinating life cycles and transformations of butterflies.
For those who love hands-on outdoor exploration, a bug observation box is an ideal gift. It encourages children to observe and study insects up close, giving them the skills and sense of wonder that will make them great nature stewards.
To bring warmth and comfort to playtime, hand-made crochet animals like a cow or bear adorned with an adorable bonnet make perfect companions. These cuddly, lovingly crafted friends are wonderful for bedtime snuggles and imaginative adventures.
For the young eco-explorers who are already enchanted by the wonders of the outdoors, consider gifts that further their journey of discovery and stewardship. Foster their love for birds with Sibley’s Backyard Birds of Ontario pocket guide, perfect for identifying local bird species and observing their unique behaviors. Alternatively, the Bird Feeders and Food pocket guide from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology teaches children how to create a safe and welcoming habitat for their feathered friends.
If your young explorer enjoys cracking jokes and spreading laughter, our Kid’s World Animal themed joke books, such as Animal Knock-Knock Jokes and Laugh out Loud: Canadian Nature, are sure to entertain.
For hands-on learners, encourage them to get their hands dirty with My Very Own Garden, a gardening activities book for children ages 7 to 10. This gift inspires them to try various gardening projects and develop an appreciation for nurturing plant life. For those who love outdoor adventures, an Outdoor Adventure Kit complete with tools and an activity booklet will spark their excitement for exploration and discovery!
Did you know that as a social enterprise, 100% of revenue generated from the Evergreen Garden Market funds Evergreen’s work to transform public places for the benefit of people and the planet? Learn more about our mission here.
The holidays don’t have to be about overconsumption. Instead, they can be a time to focus on giving meaningful gifts and spending quality time with the people we cherish. We invite you to skip the hustle and bustle of the mall and enjoy some quiet time in nature this winter—why not pair a trip to the Evergreen Garden Market with a walk along our trails? And for extra wintery fun, join us at the Winter Market this December 1, 8, 15 and 22!
There are so many eco-friendly ways to get to the Brick Works! Whether you walk in from Castle Frank Station or ride the trails through the Don Valley, you’ll find the journey can be just as beautiful as the destination. You can also reduce your carbon footprint by taking our free shuttle bus that runs every 30-45 minutes from Broadview Station or the 28 TTC bus from Davisville Station. Click here to learn more about getting here.
