There are some who view cheerful little character sitting in your yard in a different light. FreeTheGnomes.com provides Garden Gnome Liberation information and calls to action. They proclaim that "Thousands of Gnomes are enslaved in Gardens across America. For too long we have let our neighbors usurp rights of these gentle woodland creatures. Join our boycott. Organize a picket demonstration. Write to Congress. Free a Gnome. We'll show you how."

Some groups have taken law into their own hands. In April 2000 in Paris dormant Garden Gnome Liberation Front sprang back to life, stealing about 20 gnomes during a nighttime raid on a Paris exhibition. "We demand ... that garden gnomes are no longer ridiculed and that they be released into their natural habitat," Front's Paris wing said in a statement following its weekend strike.

Disappearing gnomes have caused headaches for police forces worldwide. In May 2004 The Scotsman reported that a spate of bizarre thefts had left Lothians police with several unusual prisoners - 14 garden gnomes. An elderly woman complained to police that someone was stealing gnomes from her yard in Fairfax County, Washington D.C. Officers set up a spy-cam and caught their suspect in act four times. Police revealed that their bad guy was really a not-so-bad Labrador retriever named Magnum. The dog had been retrieving figurines and bringing them home. In Australia, garden gnomes started disappearing from one particular neighbourhood on a large scale. They were found in a clearing in bush months later, where they were all gathered around largest gnome, having a meeting.

If you have not yet succumbed to temptation to acquire one of these cheerful little creatures, let me leave you with one final thought. A study carried out in England in 2003 into matters to be considered when selling your home found that having a gnome in your front garden reduced value of your house by $840.

Hugh Harris-Evans

For gardening tips and resources visit my site: http://www.garden-supplies-advisor.com

ØAdd dragonfly larvae, or nymphs, to your pond. They are voracious predators of mosquito larvae, and while mosquito larvae stay in that stage for only a few days, dragonfly nymphs stay in larval stage for up to two years, and can prey on many generations of mosquito larvae. And, when they become adults, dragonfly feeds on adult mosquitoes too.

ØInvite toads into your yard. One toad can consume up to 100 mosquitoes and slugs per night. They lay their eggs in water, so pond will attract them. If happy with its environment, a toad can grace your garden for up to 20 years. And tadpoles will eat mosquito larvae also.

ØAs an overall precaution, get a propane powered mosquito trap, such as Mosquito Magnet, to reduce mosquito population in your garden area. These are most effective mosquito killers around, and they will capture (and kill) mosquitoes that your natural controls miss.

With growing concern about mosquito diseases, like West Nile virus, malaria, and dengue fever, it is natural to feel reluctance to add any water source around your home. With right precautions, you can beautify your garden and still feel secure that you are not inviting mosquitoes into your immediate environment.

If water gardening appeals to you, just educate yourself, take needed precautions, and get ready to enjoy beauty and serenity a water feature adds to your home.