Welcome to A Home for Your Gnome! A site offering practical garden and landscape design advice with the hope of making you smile. As I wrestled with naming my blog, I was torn with whether or not to toss the word “garden” in there. It may be a gamble from a search engine and algorithm perspective but I am SO glad you found me! (Now tell your friends).
Garden kitsch and gnomes are kind of like the smell of mulch. You either love it or you don’t. There’s not a lot of middle ground. Personally, I dig gnomes and I strive to make our garden as inviting as possible for these mystical miniatures.
I considered calling this site Fourteen Gnomes (as this is how many currently reside here) but I bailed on the idea. Anyway, my goal is to share some advice on a multitude of garden topics with the hope that you’ll find something of value here. So, dig in and see what you uncover!
Recent Posts
Blurring the boundary
Gardening along property lines I’ve heard it said before that everyone has two property lines. There’s the one you own and the one you mow. It’s...
Welcome to the land of beyond
Taking off the blinders when choosing a tree Prior to teaching for 33 years, my wife and I both worked at what was then the premier garden center in...
Hurricane Helene
How to help flood victims In light of all that has happened to our fragile planet since my last writing, I have decided to pause with my trivial...
It’s here!
My long-awaited book “A Home for Your Gnome” is ready to cross the finish line! 150 pages of brilliant garden advice with a healthy dash of gnomish whimsy can be yours soon. With 168 color images, designs, and drawings, this limited-edition gem is sure to be popular so get your name on the pre-order list for a print copy today! (If gnomes aren’t your thing, it also makes a fabulous gift!)
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What is that?
Any fan of quality music remembers Prince. He had a sound and style that was unmatched. Late in his career, he changed his name to a symbol. “The artist formerly known as Prince” was how he was billed. I had no intention of trying to copy that legend but towards the latter third of my career as a Professor at The University of Tennessee (yeah, the guys who won the National Baseball title!), I began each semester, and each class by drawing the symbol (below) that now adorns some of the books I’ve signed. People want me to explain it but when there are 3 or 4 patient people in line, I’ve told folks to come to this site to find out what it means.
So, what is it? The arrow is the point I’m trying to make. The top is the beginning and the arrow is my goal. The wavy line represents my rambling stories or going off in the “weeds” as some may say. But all of the things that reside along those far turns are meant to reinforce my main point. If you’ve read my blog postings over the past year or more you know how much I like to venture off the main path! So that is what that squiggly doodle represents. Now you can sleep.
One wonderful student gave me this gift the day after I drew my “brand” on the board. 3-D printers had just started to become a thing. (If I had a big gold chain, I’d be wearing this puppy at all my book signings.)