The 2024 Flourish Calendar
20th November 2023
As the festive season draws near, it’s time to embrace the spirit of giving in a way that not only warms the hearts of your loved ones but also nurtures our planet. This year, we invite you to infuse the magic of sustainability into your Christmas gifting traditions. In the enchanting realm of biodynamics, where harmony with nature is celebrated, we’ve curated a collection of our top eco-friendly gift ideas. By supporting small businesses and embracing thoughtful choices, your holiday presents can become a beautiful embodiment of the season – a promise to minimise waste and cherish the Earth. Join us in making this Christmas a celebration of conscious giving and sustainable joy!
New for 2024, the Flourish Calendar will help you to sustainably grow-your-own food and plants, no matter your experience level or space available! A gift that keeps on giving throughout the year, this beautiful and practical month-by-month guide combines gardening to-dos, tips for helping you optimise space available in your home or garden, and draws on rhythms and relationships between the earth, planets and constellations to enhance the health and resilience of your plants and soil.
And all proceeds from the sale of the Flourish 2024 Calendar go towards planting orchards in Dorset; fruit trees, nut trees and fruit bushes that will flower and fruit each year! Bonus!
Copper Gardening Tools
Whilst mass-produced gardening tool sets typically lack creativity and are often poorly made, copper tools such as those made by Implementations at Waltham Place are a long-lasting luxury gift that greatly benefits both gardener and garden. Known for deterring slugs and snails and preventing plant infections, copper tools can also enrich the soil with trace elements, alkalise the substrate and even ionise surface water – a biodynamic gardener’s dream! Sharp edges also mean they slice into the soil, with minimal effort and disruption. Implementation’s tool heads are made of solid bronze copper and the handles are from responsibly-sourced European hardwoods – ash, beech and lime. And although they may look like works of art, these are hardworking tools, designed for strength not looks. Browse the full collection of tools here.
Authentic Goodies Fit For A Christmas Hamper
Christmas hampers and hand-picked food parcels always make for a loving gift that inspires dinner party topics, trying new recipes or just a bit of winter comfort. Small-batch artisan organic and biodynamic cheese is always a crowd-pleaser and Clearspring’s Demeter organic standard products are super tasty hamper additions. From store cupboard staples to indulgent, award winning oils and sauces these make the perfect addition to a thoughtful foodie gift set this Christmas. Shop the full range here or find your nearest retailer.
And while you’re browsing, why not gift yourself (and your gut) a special organic or biodynamic veg box or bag this Christmas? Opting for an organic or biodynamic box scheme this Christmas means showing your support for local, nature-friendly farms, producing fruit, veg and meat in a way that’s better for our planet (it also makes a great zero-waste present that benefits loved ones, the planet, and wildlife too).
Biodynamic Planting Calendar
A practical and inspirational gift that lasts all year, the Biodynamic Planting Calendar is a must-have for any organic or biodynamic gardening enthusiast, trusted by generations of farmers and gardeners for over 60 years. Complete with a handy pull-out wall chart, this clear guide details planting, tending and harvesting information to help growers maximise the yield and vitality of crops and plants, no matter the garden size, placement and growing conditions. Available to purchase from our online shop.
Biodynamic Preparations
A gift to help prepare the garden for the year ahead, our unique Three Kings Biodynamic Preparation Set is applied on 6th January – Three Kings Day. A gift to the elemental world, it consists of gold (D2), frankincense and myrrh. Our Gardener Size set includes enough for a typical-sized garden and is ready in paste form.
For gifts that are full of goodness and have been made sustainably and cruelty-free, our go-to choice is Weleda whose hair, face, body and wellbeing products are perfectly thoughtful alternatives to perfumed, chemical-packed and heavily packaged gift sets that often end up in landfill. As the proud owners and careful custodians of 13 acres of land where they grow their own plants in herb gardens to Demeter biodynamic standards, check out their wide range of everyday products for the whole family as an extra-special gift that rewards loved ones and the planet. Shop the full range here.
Courses & Unique Experiences
What better gift is there than spending meaningful time together during the festive season or in the New Year once the Christmas rush has calmed down? From delicious and sustainable dining experiences at biodynamic favourite Farmacy in Notting Hill, London, biodynamic farm & estate Heckfield Place in Hampshire, or the exceptional Riverford Field Kitchen in Devon, why not whisk a loved one away for the day (or make a night of it) and indulge in truly exceptional dinner date.
And if getting their hands a little more muddy is their thing, why not buy tickets for a Waltham Place workshop or gardening course, a guided tour around Weleda’s gardens, a chef-led masterclass at the GreenCuisine Trust in Lewes or even a one-day introduction into biodynamics to celebrate 100 years of biodynamics in 2024!
Gift A Year’s Subscription
Choose a gift that doesn’t cost the earth and lasts all year with either our a limited edition Biodynamic Association Annual Gift Membership or access to our Biodynamic Gardening Club.
When you give someone a Biodynamic Association Gift Membership they will join a worldwide community of like-minded people who believe that our earth is precious and that Biodynamic principles which restore and regenerate health and vitality to our soils, farms and gardens are vital for all our futures.
And if you’re searching for a gift for a budding gardener, our online Gardening Club membership is perfect for loved-ones who wish to get closer to nature, enjoy more wellbeing, are passionate about protecting wildlife, or who might simply like to learn more about and how to create their own havens of vitality and biodiversity, above and below ground. And whilst it’s currently free to join our online Biodynamic Gardening Club, we welcome donations of all sizes to help support our work and give back to the planet – a win-win gift!
Biodynamic Festive Tipples
‘Tis the season for raising spirits and a glass of your favourite drink. With more and more options becoming available each year, there is a whole host of biodynamic certified and organic wine, spirits, and non-alcoholic options to add to your festive feast this year. Biodynamic wine Domaine Hugo was recently awarded both Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals in the Wessex Wines of Great Britain awards, and with 11 biodynamic certified vineyards in the UK, including Albury Vineyard, Tillingham, Ancre Hill Estates, Limeburn Hill and Sedlescombe Organic Vineyard, there’s a range of variety of delicious natural wines to choose from. And if wine isn’t on their Christmas list, why not opt for a biodynamic whiskey from Waterford Distillery or an organic Cornish gin from Land Of Saints.
Gift Nature A Helping Hand
The winter season is a tough time for British wildlife – food is in short supply and colder temperatures both add to pressures that insects, birds and animals around the UK are feeling in our changing landscape more generally.
Give nature a helping hand this Christmas and don’t be afraid to let your garden grow a little wild this winter, especially if you’re spending less time outside. Our top tips this winter are:
- Long grass, hedges & ‘weeds’ provide vital food & shelter
- Insect hotels provide a home for bees, bugs and spiders
- Bird feeders help support wildlife with a little extra food source
- Plant soft fruit or nut trees – their deep roots give stability to the soil and they offer nutrition, shade and bees love them!
The Biodynamic Association is a charitable organisation that supports climate-friendly agriculture and gardening across the UK. If you’d like to help towards regenerating & healing soil, decreasing flooding and improving water systems, supporting nature-friendly and animal-friendly agriculture why not become a Member or gift a membership to a loved one?
