Welcome to The Weeding Gnome

Brought to you by Plants Nouveau

In today's Issue:

Nothin's Tacky in Baltimore, Hon! Garden Art 101

Introducing Phlox paniculata ‘Lord Clayton’

--- The Garden Rant for November 13, 2009 ---

You all know I love gnomes, right?

But how many of you know I also love gazing balls and cloth napkins? I have
decent collections of all three. Some people find gnomes and gazing balls tacky.
With everyone being so green these days, I assume cloth napkins are in again and
my collection isn’t so unusual. I assume the thought of washing a cloth napkin
would deter their use for most.

My Mom would iron them and fold them perfectly…not in my house. We use them daily
and they are always wrinkled (but clean). I might iron them for holiday meals.

I wouldn’t have a garden without gnomes or gazing balls and I wouldn’t serve a
meal without cloth napkins. That’s just me. I guess some folks don’t appreciate
their charm…or maybe…they just don’t know how to use them. Let’s look back in time
and have a little history lesson and then learn about proper use and placement.

Gnomes first appeared in European folklore as do-good creatures that rewarded hard
working farmers, merchants, and housewives with assistance in their fields, shops,
and gardens at night. Sounds great, right? Now you want one…don’t you?

Gnomes are legendary and gnome mythology is centuries old. Early images show
gnomes as gnarly old men with long white beards or as misshapen dwarfs, all
characterized by their small size. In Germany, the gnomes (or dwarfs as they are
known there) were often portrayed as miners. There is a theory that miners of
small stature came from the island of Crete around 1,500 BC to dig for gold and
silver in parts of Europe.

Dwarfs were often featured in German fairy tales, such as those told by the
Brothers Grimm, and dwarf figurines were thought to bring good fortune to a home
if placed in the house or garden. This is why they were adopted by so many German
homes. The fantastic, fire engine red, pointed hat that we see on many garden
gnomes today mimics the hat that was once worn by miners in the mountains of
south-east Germany.

It was Englishman, Sir Charles Isham, who first displayed gnomes in the garden in
1849. He brought about 20 small figurines from Germany and placed them in a
rockery in the garden at Lamport Hall, Northamtonshire, England.

If you are going to have gnomes, there are rules:

1. No lady or man gnomes bent over showing their britches – that’s just not
right – unless you are in Amsterdam, where anything goes with gnomes – and I mean
ANYTHING. I have images, but I can’t share those here.
2. No scary-faced gnomes. Let’s face it – some are downright frightening –
like clowns to me. Keep them sweet and less Santa Claus-like.
3. Move them around. My kids love to move the gnomes. It’s a game we play.
Moveable art is interactive and it’s a great way to get children involved in the
garden. I love seeing where they put them.
4. Make sure they are secure because squirrels (my nemesis) knock them over,
especially in the fall when they are burying acorns.
5. Have many. They make people chuckle (especially my friend Frank, who just
won’t give in to their seduction…)

If you hide gnomes in groundcover plantings and under shrubs, people visiting your
garden will happen upon them. Grouping them is fine, but I hear they like to work
alone. Just don’t ever leave them sitting out in the middle of a bed or in the
grass alone. They need shelter. Plus, you never know when a new version of the
Gnome Liberation Army will pop up.

What? You don’t know about the Gnome Liberation Army?

These are groups of people who feel gnomes should live in forests and with other
gnomes because that’s where they belong. They “borrow” gnomes and take them on
trips to set them free from the slavery of your garden. They’ll even send you
pictures of your gnome on his journey.

The most famous liberation took place earlier this decade from 2000-2003 in Paris,
France. Thousands of gnomes were “liberated” from garden slavery and taken all
over Paris, left in parks and on the side of the road in wooded clearings.
Because of this, Le Jardin de Bagatelle, one of the most famous public gardens in
Paris, had a display using two thousand gnomes in the silliest scenes, all over
the garden. It caused quite controversy because this is a formal garden.
Parisians didn’t quite appreciate the humor.

I sure did! I was lucky enough to be visiting the Rosarian there while I was on a
trip to the south of France evaluating roses for The Conard-Pyle Co. It was
surely the highlight of my trip. It was so much fun. Here’s an image of a gnome
wedding on a raft.

Although there are no armies to liberate gazing balls from concrete pillars in the
middle of a lawn (there should be…), gazing balls have a much more fascinating
history and their historic uses are, well, quite useful.

In the 13th century, skilled craftsmen made gazing balls in Venice, Italy. They
were hand-blown then just as they are today. Antonio Nier, a fifteenth century
priest, called it a Sphere of Light and, as time passed, the colorful ball became
a permanent fixture in the European garden and home. King Ludwig II, King of
Bavaria during the 1800’s, adorned his palace, a replica of Versailles, with the
globes.

Legends formed about the mysterious powers of the ball. A globe was said to bring
happiness, good luck and prosperity to those who own it. The globe was known to
ward off evil spirits, misfortune, illness and of all things, witches!

The ball is supposed to keep witches away but the methods vary. Some say the ball
should be placed near the entrance to the house so that if a witch came to your
house she would not be able to get past her reflection, as she cannot tear herself
away from her own image. Smaller balls made of colored glass, as opposed to the
reflective kind, were believed to attract and trap evil spirits. I wonder how you
get them to rid your home and garden of these evil spirits?

I couldn’t find any literature about final disposal of said “evil” spirits. Yikes!

The gazing globe had practical purposes in southern gardens. Placed strategically
by the path near the front gate, southerners could see from the veranda who was
calling before the caller could see them, allowing plenty of time to prepare
refreshments for their guest or to hide (I love this…) — whichever was fitting.

In Victorian times, the "Butler Ball" served as a mirror for servants to see when
guests needed assistance without staring at them throughout the meal. Another
practical use was in the foyer of the home. Parents could keep a close eye on
their daughter and her date as he bid her goodnight.

I’d say these are quite practical uses for such fun, shiny spheres. Here’s how I
use them, but again, there are rules.

Rules for gazing ball placement:

1. Hide them. No one wants to see your gazing ball on some silly concrete or
ceramic stand in the middle of the grass. The element of surprise is wonderful in
a garden, so make sure you can’t see the entire ball.
2. Don’t be afraid to place them on the ground. Most gazing balls now have
rubber seals on their tips, so you can easily place them on the ground (I bury the
tip in the mulch to keep them from rolling about) and leave them out all winter.
3. Secure them. I cried last fall when my favorite ball was smashed in the
street into a million pieces after a bad windstorm.
4. Use them to reflect plants and surroundings – after all – that’s their
purpose and they can even make your garden appear larger than it really is.
5. Move them around. Moveable art is in now. It is interactive and it changes
things up.
6. Have balls for every season. I would never put out the candy- apple- red
one in the summer – it clashes with everything, but boy-oh-boy does it look good
in the middle of winter – especially with a little snow bonnet.

As for the napkins, there are no rules. Just use them. Eat at the dinner table,
not in front of the TV or in the car on the way home. They make garden parties
seem more formal. I love watching people who have never used one try not to stain
them. They’re napkins people…wipe that sauce off your mouth, for goodness sake.
It’ll come out I the wash…I guarantee!

Until next week…

Happy Weeding.

Angela Treadwell Palmer

President, Plants Nouveau

PS - Since we’ve talked a lot of royalty and kings today, I thought it would be
fitting to introduce you to one of our new plant introductions for 2010, Phlox
paniculata ‘Lord Clayton’. With its regal hues and tall stature, this new plant is
fit for the King’s garden.

Discovered as a chance seedling in the perennial border of Tammy Clayton,

landscape designer, and garden writer in Michigan, this new selection won us over
with it’s deep purple foliage, lime green veining and jewel-toned, garnet red
blooms. Lord Clayton is mildew resistant and it grows to an ultimate height of 36
to 40” tall in three years. Liners are currently available only from North Creek
Nurseries in Landenberg, PA.

As always, readers of The Weeding Gnome are welcome to ask for samples of any of
the plants mentioned above.
--- Angela's Garden Notes ---

Introducing Phlox paniculata ‘Lord Clayton’ - Add a Bit of Royalty to Your Garden

When Tammy Clayton discovered this new selection in her garden once she saw the
color, she knew it was garden royalty. With its deep purple foliage and lime green
veins, this plant is gorgeous as soon as it emerges in spring. The brightly
colored, cherry-red blooms unfurl in late June and continue to be the jester to
any garden court through July and into early August.

As the foliage matures, it transforms from deep purple to greenish-purple, still

retaining the hint of lime that makes it so exciting. I must thank Tim McGinty,
the GM at North Creek Nurseries for saving the tiny little peat pot I received
from Tammy in the fall of 2006. I had faith in Tim, and he didn’t let me down.
Tim not only saved it but he propagated it and planted it in the trial gardens at
North Creek . Tim and his staff fell in love with the plant and decided to add it
to their catalog after it made it through 2 summers with great tolerance to
powdery mildew.

Size: 36-48” tall by 30 to 36” wide

USDA hardiness zones: 3-8
Sun/shade: full sun
Soil: average garden soil
Moisture: moist, but well drained
Diseases and pests: This selection is resistant to powdery mildew.
Landscape use: middle of the border, foundation plantings, mass plantings,
butterfly gardens, cutting gardens, cottage gardens
Market appeal/uniqueness: The combination of cherry-red blooms and deep purple
foliage make this new selection a show stopper. Add powdery mildew resistance to
the list of features and you have a real winner for gardeners who want luscious,
jewel-toned colors. The foliage emerges deep, eggplant purple with lime green
veins and matures to greenish-purple, making the perfect backdrop for the
brilliantly colored blooms.
Bloom time: from late June to August, flowering continuously