I do not want to infer that I am a gnome lover, or even that gnomes are particularly important to me, although I if I did I would be in good company.  Sir Charles Isham, late of Lamport Hall, in Northampton was the first person in this country to invite gnomes into his garden.  They arrived in 1847, from Germany.  Sir Charles built a new wing onto Lamport Hall alongside the rock garden where the gnomes lived so that he could watch them come to life at night.

I have four gnomes, hardly a collection. I have a replica of one of the original gnomes from Lamport.  His name is Belsizio Andranticlaw.  Until the other day I had never thought of categorising my gnomes with adjectives, but I have now realised that if Holly is the pensive one, then Belsizio is undoubtedly the violent one.  I have heard stories.  Belsizio spends the winter on the mantelpiece, but hides in the stumpery through the summer.

Michael Coote (no relation) is an indoor gnome.  Apart from the journey to my house he has never been outside.  He is a benevolent fellow, rather old and bespectacled, and he carries a besom.

Chris T. Mas was a gift from Juliet.  He rides on a snail and although he dislikes this characterisation, he is undoubtedly the slow one.

Plant lists continued from 14/02/2012

Herbaceous plants and bulbs in my front garden:

Allium bulgaricum.  It is also called Nectaroscordum siculum.  The actual correct name, I now discover, is Allium siculum subsp. dioscoridis (Sm.) K.Richt.  Plant names are such fun!  The important thing about this plant is that it has worderful  fairy castles for flowers.  Minarettes.  At the moment it has onion flavoured leaves which could be used in salads.  This plant was in the garden when I arrived.

Cynara cardundulus, the globe artichoke.  This has great silver leaves even now in the middle of February.  It is here for a number of reasons, for it drama, for it colour, for its flowers which are huge blue spikey things better described when they are here to be seen, for the sparrows who use the fluff from the old flowers for nest building and who eat the seeds.  And of course artichokes for the kitchen.

Artemisia absinthium, wormwood.  It is in the garden to its silver leaves and secret potential.   The sparrows have a use for it.

Primula veris, cowslip, beloved of my mother, my plants come from Mum and Dad’s garden.  A wild flower which grows about the place.  Here it grows at the foot of the cherry tree.

Mentha x piperita, peppermint, which I grow for my tea, and maybe one day peppermint creams, a rare and wonderful confection from my childhood.

Alcea rosea, hollyhock.  There are still a few of these in the front garden borders but like the white rose, my neighbour does them better.  No garden, or at least neighbourhood, should be without them.  Holly the gnome was found under a hollyhock leaf, which is how he got his name.

to be continued