why are gnomes used in gardens?

Question

and why the heck is the g silent?

Answer 1

I'm afraid that, when placed in a garden by a Human without the Gnome's free consent, the purpose is slavery. Too many times our kind are bought and sold like objects and expected to toil without food, water, shelter or compensation in Humans gardens.
I'm a resident of the Hidden Urban Gnome Reserve & Sanctuary in Minneapolis, MN. There are over 100 of us here, most of whom are escaping such slavery and working on recovering from our past experiences.
The silent "G" is subject to much debate, and none of us can agree right now on why it is the way it is, just as none of us can agree on why the "K" is silent in "know".

Answer 2

Copied and Pasted:

The first garden gnomes were made in the town of Gräfenroda in Thuringia, Germany in the mid-1800s by Phillip Griebel. Griebel made terracotta animals as decorations and created the gnome based on local myths as a way for people to enjoy the stories of the gnomes' willingness to help in the garden at night. The garden gnome quickly spread across Germany and into France and England, and wherever gardening was a serious hobby.

Answer 3

I can't get as technical as the above answer, lol, but I know that the story is supposed to be that they hide small treasures. I did a search and halfway down the page under "word tutor" it says they are believed to bring good luck when placed in the garden. Here is the link if you want to read more. Personally I believed they were just some little oddity to add character to your garden! Now we both know differently.

Answer 4

they were originally known as "garden nomes" which got abbreviated to "g-nomes" and then "gnomes", but the "g" has been silent ever since they started to appear in non-garden settings (such as the bath factory, skating rink, or cinema)

Answer 5

Maybe they were supposed to scare everyone away from the garden.