All gardeners seek inspiration to design and maintain their landscapes and outdoor spaces. When gift-giving to your gardener friends, consider gifts that will instill vision and sophistication in your gardeners' efforts.

One gift idea is a subscription to a gardening-related print or online magazine. Try a subscription that is outside of the gardener's comfort zone.

For example, a gardener who maintains a very formal landscape may benefit from a magazine that takes a natural approach to garden design. Online and print magazines can be inexpensive and can offer further insight and new ideas.

Gardeners love to learn and appreciate the gift of education. Purchase tickets for yourself and your gardener friend for garden tours and house tours during the summer or holiday season. Appreciating other garden designs can bring those “ah-ha” moments to gardeners.

Many house and garden tours are sponsored by nonprofit organizations, so purchasing tickets helps the organization, too. Add in a lunch and you have a special event.

Penn State Extension offers low-cost educational opportunities throughout the state on a variety of topics of interest to all gardeners. Visit https://extension.psu.edu/trees-lawns-and-landscaping. Scroll to the bottom to see current workshops and other educational opportunities. Look for topics that would be appealing to your gardener.

Travel may be required to workshops and seminars. Each fall, Penn State Extension Butler County offers a fall workshop for all gardeners. Look for more information about the workshop in September.

Visit a holiday-themed botanic display, botanic garden or arboretum. There are numerous well-known botanic gardens in Western Pennsylvania and throughout the state that are worth visiting in the summer months. The website http://visitpa.com lists Pennsylvania's botanic gardens and arboretums.

Another consideration is to visit a museum. When viewing the artwork, sculpture and other relics, appreciate how artists' use of color, media and proportion could be infused into landscape and garden design.

Looking for a gift that you can wrap? Purchase a garden-themed book.

Book genres are plentiful, such as native plants, best gardening practices, field guides, botanic art, do-it-yourself projects, and many more. Rare and out-of-print books may be an option for book collectors.

Expand from gardening practices to botanic-themed poetry, artwork, sculpture and more. The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words,” applies to brilliantly photographed books of gardens, plants and more.

The gift of inspiration is one that keeps on giving throughout the year. Choose from an array of experiences, books and magazines that will keep your gardener inspired throughout the year.

Lisa Marie Bernardo, PhD, RN, is a Penn State Extension Master Gardener of Butler County.

Lisa Marie Bernardo, PhD, RN, has been a Penn State Master Gardener in Butler County since 2003. Her gardening passions include native plant garden design and she is a Sustainable Landscape Designer, certified through Phipps Conservatory. Dr. Bernardo is interested in the effects of physical activity for cancer survivors and enjoys teaching about the physical benefits of gardening.