It may be that we have read far too much of literature of the likes Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and the Yellow Fairy Book . . .
It may be that we enjoy creating and expressing ourselves through storytelling . . .
It may be that mommy was just in the mood for a new healthy outdoor-type hobby . . .
Whatever the actual reason the end result of our family-team efforts has certainly spruced up my front yard. Welcome to the Gnome Shire!
My maternal grandfather loves to paint birdhouses. He paints, paints and paints. Then to top it off, he blesses others by giving them away to everyone who visits. He has always been a generous and kind person. Well, the result of his generosity is that we have ended up with more birdhouses than we have birds in our yard. The solution became to pick-up some gardening tools and transform our front yard organic herb garden into a fully functioning Gnome village. I wanted to take a few summertime quite moments to show you around our little garden.
We added a few succulent plants to give the miniatures some sprucing up and a more believable look. Above you will see the home of the Widow Smith. She enjoys shells, it reminders her of her childhood living as a young gnome by the seashore.
This little commune is the home to the Orphans of the Gnomeshire. It's a happy, sun-shiny sort of spot.
I typically do not like anything planted in my herb garden that cannot be consumed for culinary or medicinal purposes. I mean really, I spend money to water, time to plant, weed and tender care to all of my plants . . . I had better be able to at least eat you when it's all over! Yes, I am that cheap. However, you will see in the photo above some Foxglove peeking around the corner. This was my sweet husband's contribution to the garden, so I will try not to complain. Oh wait, I think I technically did already.
Nestled in a place of honor is the home of our noble Mayor of Gnomeshire. He needs some lovely little plants for his front yard pots. Any suggestions? Edible of course!
Nestled between the town of Gnomeshire and the Bog Swamp, you will find the lovely cottage of Farmer Brown. That is Chamomile, Garlic Chives and Tarragon that he has growing just to the right of his house.
Peeking just over the Bog Swamp's hill, you will spot the Hermit's Cave . . . but he is a total grump, so we will just let him be and move along.
The bravest gnome, the Gameskeeper, lives just past the edge of the Peppermint Forest, home of the helpful Blue Tensies, and just before entering the Dark Forest, home to the great ancient dragons. Lots of Peppermint and Oregano on this side of the forest.
There is the big tour of our Gnomeshire. I hope that you feel inspired to get your hands dirty, spend an hour outdoors with the kids, or at least join as a family to create a fun story.
Lots more to come from the Gnomeshire this summer. I will be sharing more about all the organic herbs we use in the garden, and lead to discussing how I use them in the house . . . aside from the obvious eating them.
Joyfully Learning with You,
So beautiful! My favorite is the gameskeeper and his peppermint forest.
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