Our Mascot!

Above: Gary, our little gnome in the know who guards over the vegie patch in our backyard. Go Gary Go!

We've chosen the garden gnome as our Grassroots Gardeners mascot and not just because they're cute! There's a lot more to our vertically challenged friends; here's some history we've sourced so far...
The name ‘gnome’ is said to come from the Latin word ‘gnomus’ which is thought to possibly come from the Greek word ‘gnosis’ meaning 'knowledge' (i.e. of hidden treasure). A more likely origin though, is the word ‘genomos’ meaning 'earth dweller'.
In 1847, Sir Charles Isham brought 21 terracotta gnomes back to his home in the United Kingdom after a trip to Germany. One of these original gnomes still survives today. Known as 'Lampy' this 150yo+ gnome is still on display and is insured for one million pounds! With their reputation expanding out from Germany, garden gnomes soon became popular across Europe and particularly in England and France, where gardening is looked upon as a very serious undertaking.
Modern garden gnomes are based on the legendary 'Gnomes' of myth, mysticism, and fairy tales. Gnomes have historically been described as small (from a few inches to a foot or two in height) stout beings who live in Nature - usually underground. European magicians and other mystics considered gnomes the most common and important elemental spirits of the ‘Earth’ element (the other three classical elements being: ‘Water,’ ‘Fire,’ and ‘Air’). Gnomes were said to wear conical hats and to be able to move through the earth itself as easily as we humans walk upon it; yet if any of these underground dwellers were caught out in the daylight it was said that the rays of the Sun turned them into stone. But other sources reported that gnomes merely turned into toads during the sunlight hours. Sometimes gnomes were said to have magical powers to protect or punish people – or to reward them with happiness. Gnomes are also said to be guardians of secret underground treasures – especially gold. Even in modern times gnomes are said by some –such as the highly influential mystic Rudolph Steiner - to be involved in the hidden processes of plant life. In fact many farms, including prize-winning vineries, follow principles based on these beliefs.

If you've got a gnome in your garden, feel free to send us a pic - we'll collate them all and post them up for your viewing pleasure.