Spooky season is upon us, and you know what that means: time to break out the cobwebs and candy dishes! However, one area of the home often gets neglected when you set out to “spook-ify” your house for Halloween: the garden!
Many outdoor Halloween decorations are designed for the yard, not the garden. If you try to use them anyway, you might end up with some crushed plants. Halloween is all about horror, but we don’t want to end the night with your beautiful plants becoming victims.
So, what is the solution to this dreadful debacle? Inviting some Halloween garden gnomes into your garden! And keep reading because we’ve compiled a list of our favorite Halloween gnomes!
1. Reap the Day
Some greet death as an old friend…and with this scythe-wielding Grim Reaper as an addition to your garden, your trick-or-treaters will be greeting him as a new one!
The wonderful thing about garden gnomes is that they perfectly embody the phenomenon of “cute scary.”
Sure, a Grim Reaper haunting your lawn might normally scare a kid or two. But with those chubby gnome cheeks, it’s hard not to love him!
This little guy is the happy medium between wanting a haunt-happy yard and scaring kids away from your porch. He’ll make a great garden guard this year!
2. Friendly Fellows
Sometimes one gnomish friend isn’t enough—how about six? This adorable arrangement of assorted gnomes is perfect for large gardens that need a wide spread of décor.
You can also cluster them together for maximum cuteness!
Each of these Halloween garden gnomes comes outfitted with different-colored shoes, hats, and outfits, setting them each apart as individuals. However, their similar design complements the group as a whole and makes it clear they’re in this haunting together!
They also each come holding assorted Halloween paraphernalia, including trick-or-treat buckets, cauldrons, black cats, and brooms!
3. Zany Zombies
There’s no sugarcoating this one—this little garden gnome’s been through the wringer. The zombie apocalypse was not kind to this guy, but his loss is your gain!
This hungry garden gnome’s craving for brains will delight and disturb visitors to your garden, which is exactly what we want this time of year. It looks like he’s had a meal already…and potentially been part of a meal for someone else.
You can tuck your shambling friend behind a plant to try and startle your trick-or-treaters or set him out front and center. Just don’t let him get a nibble in!
4. Friday the Gnome-teenth
Friday the 13th is a wildly popular horror movie franchise for a reason—and now, you can show off your love with a gnomish doppelganger of the film’s main man (murderer), Jason Voorhees!
This Halloween garden gnome is the picture of innocence…from a certain angle. Approach from the back or the side, and you’ll get a glimpse of the murder weapon hiding behind his back!
Don’t worry…this guy’s harmless underneath the hockey mask. He’s just here to help haunt your visitors and let everyone know that this is a horror-movie-friendly house.
5. Dreadful Dino
Welcome to Jurassic Park…the Halloween garden gnome edition! This model is more terrifying for the gnomes than anyone else—after all, they’re the ones getting eaten!
This dinosaur has hunted down and captured a group of gnomes in the garden, and it doesn’t look like they’ll be getting away. But even dinosaurs deserve to trick-or-treat on Halloween, right?
This gathering of garden gnomes is more likely to coax out laughter than screams, so if you like a humorous angle to your Halloween haunts, our dwarf-devouring dino is the right choice for you.
6. Frightful Forager
If you prefer to keep a general fall theme throughout the season—even when Halloween comes around—you’ll be fond of this sweet forager.
Wearing a candy-corn hat boasting a bat on its front and a spider dangling from its tip, this garden gnome is clearly ready for Halloween.
However, it’s also holding a handful of mushrooms, which gives him a touch of an autumn aesthetic as well!
He’s also carrying a tiny jack-o-lantern in his other hand. He’s the perfect balance between fall and Halloween vibes!
7. Carrot Top
If you want something a little more unique, there are other garden gnomes you can try…though this one doesn’t look much like your classic gnome.
It seems that the zombie garden gnome got into the vegetable patch before he wandered elsewhere. This wrinkled, withered carrot is showing some serious signs of the virus!
But you have to give it to him…he’s doing his best to make his way out in time to join the festivities.
If you’re a vegetable gardener—or just want to get a laugh out of people coming to steal your candy—this undead carrot will make a great addition to your garden.
8. Who You Gonna Call?
Who you gonna call? GNOMEBUSTERS!
If you’ve got a ghost problem in your garden, there’s only one guy you want to call! This Ghostbuster gnome comes fully equipped to tackle any haunting presence taking over your yard.
Garden ghosts don’t stand a chance with this Halloween garden gnome on patrol!
To complete the look, you can add some ghosties to your garden for your gnome to bust.
9. There’s Been a Murder!
Eeeek! There’s been a murder!
Who could have killed this poor, innocent garden gnome? Was it vengeance? Was it an unfortunate accident? Was it the Jason Voorhees gnome? We may never know…unless we throw a murder mystery dinner party, anyway.
This gnome definitely comes with more questions than answers, but he certainly sets the mood for the holiday. If you wanted to add an extra element of fun to Halloween night, you could even use him to play a game!
You could set up a mini “scavenger hunt” around your front yard to let kids try and solve the mystery of who murdered your garden gnome. Once they solve the mystery, they get their candy!
10. The End is Nigh
Beware! Doomsday approaches!
This gnome is feeling the foreboding in the air, and he’s making sure everyone knows it. You can see the abject terror in his eyes.
This poor little guy would make a great partner to the zombie gnome or even the undead carrot! He’ll make a great warning system for your trick-or-treaters before they get a bit further down the path and catch a glimpse of your zombified friends.
He’s doing his best to spread the word. Unfortunately, who knows if anyone will take him seriously in time.
11. Cauldron Cap
This little buddy would make a great witch’s assistant—he’s wearing a cauldron on his cap!
This gnome’s style is all in his hat. He’s boasting a bat in a tree, a roaring fire, some 3-D pumpkins, and a bubbling cauldron ready for use.
Jokes aside, this Halloween garden gnome is a true work of art. With a mix of 2-D painted designs and 3-D details, it will really pop in your garden!
12. The Horror Horde
If you’re an aficionado of all classic horror films, not just Friday the 13th, why settle for just Jason? You can get the whole set of horror movie killers!
This set includes gnome-ish recreations of Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Ghostface, and Michael Myers. You can gather them all in your garden for a screaming good time…if you dare!
Don’t be surprised if you have a quiet Halloween night. This horde of killers is enough to scare off even the bravest of trick-or-treaters!
13. Spooky Sparkles
These little cuties are bringing the glam to the graveyard! Armed with Halloween tokens, glorious beards, and sparkling hats, this pair of gnomes is ready to light up the night with their glittery caps.
These gnomes will do best in your garden if you arrange some lights nearby. Otherwise, their sparkle might get smothered in the dark of Halloween night!
14. Here’s Gnomey!
One more horror movie for the road! The Shining came out the same year as Friday the 13th. Seems like 1980 was a good year for horror!
This angry gnome is doing his very best Jack Torrance impression, though he’s breaking through the garden gate rather than a hotel door.
This gnome would make a great partner to the Friday the 13th gnome or a fun addition to the Horror Horde set!
15. Vamp It Up
He’s here to suck your blood…or to steal some sweets. This gnome has his fangs out, his cloak ironed, and he is ready to lurk in the depths of your garden!
Make sure you haven’t planted any garlic before setting this guy in your garden. Trust us, he won’t be fond of it.
Not only is he decked out in a blood red cloak and a purple hat with celestial cutouts, but he also comes with a bat buddy! His mini-me is getting a piggyback ride (well, a vampire-back ride)!
Don’t be fooled by his adorable face…this is the beard of a killer, Bella.
Decorate Your Home…With Gnomes!
No matter what theme you choose for your spooky season décor, there’s a Halloween garden gnome out there to take it to the next level. Once you pick the right guard for your garden, you’ll be ready to get started!
For more garden décor inspiration, visit our décor section now!
- About the Author
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Cassidy Eubanks is a proud Michigander, an avid reader, a lover of colorful gardens, and a writer for Minneopa Orchards.
After earning her bachelor’s in Creative Writing (partially through virtual learning, thanks to the pandemic), gardening gave her an excuse to get outside and get away from all the screens. With a particular love for decorating with colorful flowers, using herbs grown in her own garden, and finding creative ways to build big gardens in small spaces, Cassidy enjoys helping others learn about growing their own food, flowers, and trees through Minneopa Orchards!