Gift pick No. 50: Tin planters from ‘Gifts From the Garden’

Food and garden writer Debora Robertson’s wonderful book, “Gifts From the Garden: 100 Gorgeous Homegrown Presents,” offers an abundance of ideas created from the most basic of materials: garden bounty.

There are purple hyacinths planted in teacups, jasmine-scented bath bombs, a pizza herb window box and soaps that can be made from marigolds, honey and oatmeal.

For a last-minute gift that can be made in minutes -- the 50th and last installment of our Handmade Holidays gift guide -- Robertson suggests planting herbs or small flowers in any pretty tin cans you might have in the cupboard or recycling bin. (At ReForm School in Silver Lake recently, we spotted succulents planted in colorful El Pato hot sauce cans for $8.) Robertson writes in “Gifts From the Garden: 100 Gorgeous Homegrown Presents” that “it seems a shame” to toss striking tomato, oatmeal and olive oil tins when you can repurpose them as gifts.

HANDMADE HOLIDAYS: More gift picks

Here’s how: Simply punch drainage holes in the bottom of a can with a hammer and nail. Place a thin layer of pea gravel at the bottom, then add potting soil and a small plant. The plant will eventually outgrow the container. (In the case of French tarragon -- a great herb to have on hand in the kitchen -- Robertson recommends pinching off the leaves, then planting it outside in well-drained soil and sun.) But for the moment, it will serve as a personal and inexpensive reminder that you made something special.

ALSO:Handmade Holidays: Staff gift picks

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Email: lisa.boone@latimes.com

Twitter: @lisaboone19

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