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
A Fountain Without the Fuss
Creating a pond-less water feature Does this sound familiar? Dig a hole in your backyard, throw in a rubber liner, put many rocks around the...
A tree hugger’s thoughts on touch
Does physical contact with plants help?* * I know I'm a couple days early with this one but I've got a full Monday coming up.....going out to some...
Rooting for the good guys
Thou shalt not smash all bugs – Beneficial Insects for Your Garden When we first think of insects, most picture an annoying mosquito, stinging wasp,...
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 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.)