Housewarming Garden Gifts: Welcome New Homeowners

The Two Preening Cats set on a new-build patio in Reading, opened the weekend the keys changed hands, became the first thing the new owners placed outside. A housewarming garden gift is its own category. The recipient has just inherited a garden they have not yet shaped, often with builder's rubble under the topsoil and bare-fence sightlines that need softening. The right gift gives them a starting point, a piece they can place straight away without a finished planting scheme behind it. Below £50 is the natural band for the occasion: generous enough to feel considered, not so much that the recipient feels obliged to display it whether or not they like it.

Who this gift guide is for

Friends and family of new homeowners with a garden of any size. The brief is wider than a birthday gift because the recipient may have a paved courtyard, a fifty-foot lawn, a balcony, or a back-garden building site mid-renovation. The picks below work across that range because the cast-resin and reconstituted-stone pieces in the Backyard Bliss catalogue can sit on paving, on grass, or on a temporary balcony surface without fixings.

The gardener you have in mind

A new homeowner is often a new gardener. They may know what they like in principle but not what works in practice. The gift should be forgiving: weatherproof straight away, repositionable when the layout settles, not so large that it commits them to a planting decision before they have made one. A 30 to 45cm cast-resin figurine fits most situations. Avoid 60cm+ statement pieces unless you know the spot they will go.

Their garden style

Most new gardens have not yet developed a style. A neutral, naturalistic figure (hare, rabbit, cat, dog) suits a blank-slate garden because it does not impose a theme. Avoid strong stylistic pieces (gnomes, Buddhas, dragons) unless you know the recipient's taste; these carry meaning that may or may not suit the eventual garden direction. Animal figurines in soft, natural finishes are the safe ground.

The occasion

The housewarming is a moment between two phases: the keys-collected stage and the garden-finished stage. A small, considered gift that the recipient can place outside on day one and still want to look at five years later is the brief. Avoid anything that needs assembly, instructions, or a planted backdrop to make sense. Avoid plastic, novelty items, and anything that competes with the eventual planting on visual weight.

Picks at Every Price Point

Below is a band-by-band view weighted toward the £20 to £50 range, with the lower and upper bands sketched in for context. Prices fluctuate with seasonal promotions, so always check the live product page for the current figure before buying. The full garden gifts selection covers the wider range.

Under £20

Smallest cast-resin figurines, usually under 15cm. Suits a windowsill, herb pot, or balcony container. Pair with a card and a packet of seeds for a "set-up gift" that gives the new owner something to do as well as something to look at.

£20 to £50

The strongest housewarming band. Two Preening Cats is a particularly good fit because the paired pieces give the recipient a placement option (one on each side of a path or door) and the tabby-and-grey finish reads in any garden style. Mid-scale rabbit and hare singles fall here too. The Medium Bronze Moon-Gazing Hares Ornament Set at the top of this band is a reliable safe-bet gift for a recipient who likes country or naturalistic gardens.

£50 to £100

Above the natural housewarming ceiling but worth knowing for context. Mid-large hares, single Buddhas, larger dog figurines. Reserve for close family or a joint gift from multiple people. The wider garden ornaments range shows the current options.

Statement gifts (£100+)

Generally too large for a housewarming, both for budget reasons and because the recipient may not yet have a spot for an anchor piece. The Large Moon-Gazing Hares Ornament Set and the Large March Hares Ornament Set belong in milestone-gift territory (a milestone birthday, a retirement, a downsize-celebration).

What to look for in a garden gift

Three filters cut the catalogue down fast for a housewarming: weatherproof in British conditions, ready to display with no assembly, and scaled to a new garden that may not yet be planted.

Weatherproof for the UK climate

Cast resin and reconstituted cast stone both stay outside year-round in British weather. Resin is the better choice for a housewarming because it is lighter and easier to reposition while the recipient figures out their garden layout. Painted finishes hold colour longer in dappled shade than in full south-facing sun, which is worth flagging on the card if the recipient is planning a sun-soaked patio.

Ready to display, no assembly faff

Every Backyard Bliss piece arrives painted and finished. The new owner unwraps the box and walks straight outside. There is no priming, no touch-up, no fixings. For a housewarming this is the difference between a gift that gets used on day one and a gift that sits in a cupboard waiting for the gardener to find time.

The recipient's actual garden size

A small to mid-scale figurine in the 20 to 40cm range is the safe ground for an unknown garden. Avoid 60cm+ pieces unless you have visited the garden. Balconies and courtyards need 15 to 25cm pieces. Established mid-size gardens take 30 to 45cm pieces well. If the new garden is a building site mid-renovation, choose a piece the recipient can place on a windowsill until the outdoor space is ready.

Thoughtful add-ons and presentation

A housewarming gift sits alongside a fair amount of other arrivals (cards, plants, kitchen items). A bit of presentation effort lifts the figurine above the general pile.

Hand-tied gift wrap

Available at checkout for a small fee. Brown kraft paper with a fabric tie, sized to the piece. Worth it for awkward figurine shapes that are hard to wrap at home. The wrap arrives over the protective packaging, so the recipient unwraps the gift once rather than navigating multiple layers.

Personalised card

A short handwritten message added at checkout. For a housewarming the card matters because the recipient is often working through a stack of gifts and trying to remember which came from whom. A name, a sentence about the new home, your signature.

Bundle ideas

Pair the figurine with a packet of crocus or bluebell bulbs, a small bag of slow-release feed, or a bundle of cut flowers from a local florist. A £30 cat figurine plus £6 of bulbs reads as "a piece for now and something to plant for spring", which suits the new-garden phase well. Avoid bundling with pots or planters; those decisions are usually still being made.

Frequently asked questions

What's the best garden gift under £50?

For a housewarming, Two Preening Cats is the strongest pick. The paired pieces give the new owner a placement option, the tabby-and-grey finish reads in any garden style, and the price sits comfortably in the considered-but-not-extravagant band. For a recipient who leans toward country or naturalistic gardens, the Medium Bronze Moon-Gazing Hares Ornament Set is the alternative.

Are these gifts ready to display?

Yes. Every piece arrives painted and weather-finished. No assembly, no priming, no touch-up. For a housewarming this matters: the new owner lifts the figurine from the box and walks it straight outside, even if the garden is still a building site.

Do you offer gift wrap?

Yes. Hand-tied gift wrap and a personalised card are available at checkout for a small fee. The wrap is brown paper with a fabric tie, sized to the piece. The card carries a short handwritten message added in the order field at purchase.

Are garden statues weatherproof?

Yes for cast resin and reconstituted cast stone, both rated for British winters and designed to stay outside year-round. Painted finishes hold their colour longer in dappled shade than in full south-facing sun. For a new garden where placement is still being decided, a cast-resin figurine that can be repositioned without tools is the practical pick.

Do you deliver across the UK?

Free UK delivery on orders over £50, which a single mid-band piece plus gift wrap will reach in most cases. Most orders despatch within 3 to 5 working days. If the housewarming is time-sensitive, expedited postage is available at checkout for an additional fee.