gnome with marigolds and coriander

my garden gnome on the first day of spring

I can see it in his eyes that he has snow fatigue too. But he's toughing it out.

a toad house for my birthday!!

I was really lucky to get some garden gifts for my birthday this past week - a toad house, a little sign and a rain gauge. I put the toad house in a shady spot under the parsnips at my community plot. I hope Oracle Toad will appreciate his new home.

I spent an hour or so working in my plot today. I mostly removed mildewed and wilting squash leaves and vines. This gave me good space for fall seedlings. But it also removed shelter where Toad was hiding. I hope he will like his new home.

My new rain gauge is on my window sill as I admire it - a small gnome is holding the gauge. Looks like he will be good company for the other gnomes in my side yard garden.

welcome back gnome

My fishing gnome is back! I thought he fell into the pond and carefully checked the mucky bottom 4 feet down - no gnome. We found him while cleaning out the garage - in a storage basket, lost for 2 years.

garden gnomes

I have two gnomes in my garden. One in the kale patch and another in the thyme. I'm not sure where my third gnome went, he was fishing by my pond last year and I didn't realize he was gone until now, hmmmm. I guess it's time to clean out the pond.

snow on thyme - much too early

My gnome who tends the thyme is shoveling out a dusting of early October snow. Much too early! Some places west of us got inches of snow. Ours melted by the time the sun rose to mid morning.

gnome tending tomatoes

I was asked the other day where my gnome has been. Well, no where special. Just hanging out under the oregano. But for a change, I moved him over to the tomatoes. So that's his job now, hanging out under the tomato plants.

my garden gnome

gathering leaves

Spades take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.

I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.

But the mountains I raise
Elude my embrace,
Flowing over my arms
And into my face.

I may load and unload
Again and again
Till I fill the whole shed,
And what have I then?

Next to nothing for weight,
And since they grew duller
From contact with earth,
Next to nothing for color.

Next to nothing for use.
But a crop is a crop,
And who's to say where
The harvest shall stop?

Robert Frost 1923

...my little garden gnome is hard at work harvesting leaves.

gnome working in the summer garden

He's almost lost under all the foliage now. Its a big job for the little guy - but it looks like fun to me!

(remember when he was buried with snow last winter?)

more gnomes

I have one gnome who works in my vegetable garden and these two others in my backyard. One is digging behind the azalea, the other is fishing.

gnome at work

The gnome is very quietly going about his work now. There's always a lot to be done in the spring garden. I have several garden chores waiting for me. Planting tomatoes, the patio flower pots, cleaning up the clematis vine.... not to mention just watching the plants grow. But there are also always a lot of other things that need to be done. Work, family. And then there's the weather, which has been cool and rainy the past week. I will admire my gnome and perhaps I'll join him next week.

happy easter

The Easter bunny was here!

my garden gnome

still snowing...

At 6pm gnome is up to his ears.

signs of spring

Finally, a few signs of spring in my garden. Pussy willows are out and snowdrops are opening. My gnome has emerged from the snowcover. The birds are plentiful and signing loudly. A lovely carolina wren was singing today, as well as the usual chickadees, cardinals, and sparrows. I am a bit concerned about my garlic. Its still under a couple inches of snow and the tips are looking ragged. I hope it survived.

sure signs of spring

what's this?

I think this may be some odd vegetable in my garden! The neighbors keep looking at it funny. There used to be a little garden gnome out there, but I couldn't find him anywhere this morning.

snowed under

My garden gnome is pretty well snowed under today. We got about about 5 inches of wet snow yesterday that has now frozen rock solid. Poor old gnome. My carrots and garlic are buried under there too.

Little garden worker

my garden gnome














A garden gnome is working under my basil plants. Looks like his barrow is full of water.