First published in the 18th century, the Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas" remains a firm favourite amongst festive folk to this day! There have been many theories about the carol and its hidden meanings, one of which suggests the song was used to help teach Catholics the principles of their faith.

In this scenario the 'partridge in a pear tree' represents Christ. However, other people believe the song was written for a far more whimsical purpose, perhaps as a way of challenging children's memories.

One thing's for certain: this festive Christmas carol features birds. Lots of them! Let's meet some of our festive feathered friends and find out more about them. And yes, we do want you to sing along as you read this blog!

It's the first day of December and safe to say, we're really getting excited for Christmas now! We know that many of you have put your trees up early this year and you're dying to get the Christmas celebrations underway, but there's one important job that needs to be done first... present buying!

Choosing a gift for someone that you know they'll love and cherish is one of the best parts about Christmas. We're not talking about buying something expensive or flashy, the best gifts are the ones that the recipient will enjoy for months after Christmas is over, no matter how big or small.

We've put together this blog to show you some great Christmas gift ideas for gardeners. So, if you know someone with green fingers, this gift guide is perfect for you. Let's dive right in...

Cards and Watercolours

We're really excited about the new additions to our cards and watercolours section. The cards (shown on the left) come in a range of beautiful Christmas designs and every pack comes with 10 forget-me-not seed sticks for your recipients to plant! Each Christmas card is made of 100% recycled FSC® paper, is non-toxic and plastic-free making this a great way to send your Christmas greetings without harming the planet.

As well as offering a stunning range of cards, we also have some delightful watercolour prints by Jeanie P, that make great Christmas gifts for gardeners. One of our favourites is the woodpecker print shown above.

The beautiful print featured below features 5 of our favourite garden birds, Goldfinch, Robin, Long Tail Tit, Blue Tit and Wren. In true Christmas Spirit, we've called this print 'Christmas Carols' and knocked £5 off the RRP so that you can get a great gift for someone at an affordable price! This print was £31.95, but is now only £26.95 including the mount!

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Wildlife Products

We know how much gardeners love wildlife of all shapes and sizes, that's why we stock a huge range of wildlife products to cater for lots of different species. In our wildlife section, you will find...

Bees, Bugs and Butterfly Products

These fuzzy, buzzy and beautiful critters sometimes need a helping hand, and we have just the things! We offer a selection of bee nesting tubes and houses as well as ladybird lodges and bug biomes. These are great Christmas gifts for gardeners and great fun for the family. They provide a safe space for insects to explore and are educational for young children or grandchildren too.

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Bat Products

These creatures of the night are fascinating to watch if you can attract them into your garden. We offer a range of bat boxes, including this sustainably sources Conservation Bat Box (pictured above). 

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Read More: What Species of Bat Can You See in the UK?

Gardening Accessories 

Here are a few accessories that your gardener friends are sure to love! On the left, we have a beautiful pair of Sophie Conran striped gloves that are stylish, comfortable and protective. They have a mesh layer between the fingers to improve dexterity and to help regulate temperature, making them an ideal Christmas gift for use during the cold winter months.

In the centre, you can see the Poc-Kit Gardening Utility Belt, an ideal Christmas gift for gardeners who need somewhere secure to carry valuables like keys, glasses, twine or a mobile phone. The Poc-Kit features an adjustable belt and zipped compartments. We think this would be a great stocking filler!

Finally, you can see our Hip-Trug, a handy gardening accessory that can be clipped onto a standard belt. It's a great container that can be used to harvest fruit or carry weeds and garden debris until you head back to the house. The trug itself can be slipped out of the neoprene carry case for cleaning so you can pop it in the dishwasher when you're finished with it. We're sure that every gardener could find a use for this helpful accessory!

Bird Feeders/Food

Would this be a Really Wild Bird Food gift guide without a special shout out for our bird feeding products? We've got a huge array of bird seeds and bird food including mealworms, peanuts, suet and much much more. Why not purchase one of our bird feeders and a selection of our bird food for your gardener friend? We're sure they'll love watching the different garden birds that it attracts.

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Above you can see our best selling Squirrel Buster Classic Bird Feeder! Designed with a spring-loaded feeder system so that the squirrels can't steal all the food. It comes boxed and would make a lovely Christmas gift for a gardener.

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Hopefully, this Christmas gift guide will inspire you to choose great gifts for the gardeners in your life! If you have any questions about the products listed above, don't hesitate to contact us. 

As the year draws to a close...

The farm is nearly wrapped up for the winter, however, we are still very busy with our bird food sales and we hope that this blog finds you safe and well.

Whilst the amazing weather of the first lockdown period meant that we could all be outside enjoying nature, our gardens and the great outdoors, this second lockdown has a different feeling. The short days and the wet weather are making everything seem more challenging.

As you can tell, we have a bit of an obsession with robins here at Really Wild Bird Food. Our robin mascot can be seen throughout our website and across our social media, bringing a touch of cheer to every page!

Year after year, robins have been voted the UK's favourite bird, but surely that comes as no surprise. Who doesn't love robins? When you see or hear a robin redbreast (particularly during winter) it fills you with a sense of pure joy.

Remote working is quickly becoming a normal way of living for a lot of us! Understandably, people are doing whatever they can to make the home office a stress-free environment so that they can concentrate on being productive! 

Unfortunately, working from home can make people feel very isolated. Where they would normally interact with colleagues and clients in an office setting, they're now confined to their own four walls for the majority of the week. It's a big lifestyle adjustment that some people have taken to easier than others. 

If you've watched the news recently, you'll know that saving the planet and being more sustainable is at the forefront of people's minds. In the last week, Prince William and David Attenborough have launched their Earthshot Prize, a fund that's designed to reward inventors and activists who come up with revolutionary ways to tackle climate change.

The next ten years have been identified as being pivotal in terms of saving our beautiful planet, so now is the perfect time to work on making your home more eco-friendly.

If you've ever been out and about as the sun goes down, we're sure you've seen the bats coming out of their hiding place to hunt. They're found all over the place; in barns, homes and caves, but very few people can get close enough to see the different species that live amongst us.

Well, here in the UK, we don't only have 1 or 2 species of bat living among us, we have 16! So, if you're wondering what species of bat you can see in the UK you're in the right place! Let's take a closer look at some of our favourite flying friends:

Getting outside to watch the birds is one of the great pleasures of British summer. When the weather is warm, the sun is beaming and nature is blossoming, there's nothing better than sitting in your garden with a cuppa and watching the world go by. 

As you may already know, many of our British bird species migrate to warmer pastures for the winter but return to us in summer. This spectacular influx of birds is something that we at Really Wild Bird Food look forward to every year!