Gnome Man's Land

I used to think garden ornaments were tacky. That was back in the day when people had faded pink flamingos and wooden animals with spinning legs on their lawns. Clearly, I had not yet developed a sense of humour and, I admit it, I was a snob. Over the years, I have come to appreciate the finer points of gardening and lawn decor.

When there are empty spaces in a yard, it makes sense to fill up gaps with gazing balls, Chinese lanterns, birdbaths, rocks, wheelbarrows, monuments, windmills, old fence rails, wagon wheels and the like. My personal preference happens to be gnomes.

I used to have two gnomes, only two, that rested on a miniature park bench. One sat and one was semi reclined. Cute eh? Hubby recently confessed that one of my gnomes "accidentally" got broken. I was sad. Friendly looking gnomes, gnomes that speak to us, are just like people. They aren't always easy to find. In fact, more often than not, they are scary and creepy.

While hubby was on a recent trip, I made it my mission to replace my gnomes. It was a challenge. I  discovered that there was a gnome shortage in our town.

I first found two small ones. They were not of the size and quality I wanted for my bench, however, they were cute enough to sit amongst the impatiens which I had just planted. Since I discovered them at a dollar store, the price was certainly right.

Then I assembled my entrance planter. Good thing I happened to locate this little guy to put in the arrangement to add some interest to the flower cart.

Of course, no home would be complete without a gnome holding a "welcome" sign and awaiting guests near the front of the house. What a lucky find he was!

 During my continued scouring of the local stores and garden shops in search of bench gnomes, I came across a cute little elf holding a large flower. Actually, I found two such ornaments and couldn't decide which one would look better, so I took both home and tried them to see.

Yes, the one with the yellow flower and green hat definitely looked better seated on the bench. Oh, I also purchased the other little guy with the striped hat. He will have to do until I can find a replacement reclining gnome at which time he'll be moved to the garden area.

I once had two gnomes. Now I have seven gnomes. Hubby was soooooo pleased when he came home, saw all the beautiful flowers and the new gnome collection. As always, he was happiest of all to see this little reddish brown garden ornament.