For those wishing to celebrate Christmas with a lighter environmental impact, consumable gifts are a wonderful idea, especially for those difficult to buy for people who already have everything. Need some inspiration, why not try these wonderful gifts and decorations from recycled materials and the garden.

Christmas tree ornaments made from seed pods. In this case crows ash and gum nuts.

Perhaps the best gift of all, a living plant. Orchards are particularly wonderful as they flower at the same time of year and are very low maintenance when put in a sheltered humid spot. These ones are hung in the branches of a large tree over a groundcover of bromeliads (to provide a moist micro-climate).

Gift tags and cards made with pressed flowers. So quick and simple to make. Pick a flower, press it between heavy books lined with paper and a month later there you have it.

Pretty dried herbs make lovely gifts for tea, bath salts (when mixed with Epom salts) or simply jars of dried herbs for cooking. Lavender, lemon myrtle, cranberry hibiscus and lemon grass are all lovely choices.

Recycled timber Christmas trees. These three where made in about 1/2 and hour. Simply evenly space old fence palings (or even pallet timber) out on the ground along a central piece of timber. Secure with screws then use a saw to trim along the edges to make a triangular shape. These trees have been secured in place using star pickets and temporary cable ties.

Finally, you can’t go past baked goods. Cakes and cookies of course but also preserves made from home grown produce. We make fruit jams and cordials, chutneys and dried fruits. The black sapote cheesecake is a definite crowd favourite but so is jaboticaba and elderflower cordial or a nice bag of homegrown dried banana.

Jaboticaba cheesecake

Reusable gift bags are also a great idea and so simple the kids will love making them too.

But perhaps the greatest gift of all is the gift of time. We take great joy lending a hand in friends gardens and celebrating the days’ work with food and drink on the worksite.

Jackfruit cake.