GPE 2024 : The Finale

the 2024

 

I N F O M A N I A C

 

Garden Photos Event Finale

 

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 Strap yourselves in - Here we go!

 

 Well, what a gardening year we've had!  Very many thanks to all you lovely green-fingered Bloggerati who took part and sent in your garden and garden-related photos.  We've been up close and personal to all manner of intimate specimens from across the globe: from Savvy's chocolate-frosted Monty Don to Ms Scarlet's Big Pink Bush™, there are no secrets here anymore - everything was on show!  And what a show it has been: 

Secret Garden, by T'Pau (1988)

 

 

Programme of Events

 

Hallowe'en brought out the Terrifying Triffidery

 

1st November : The Infomaniac Garden Photos Event opening ceremony

4th November : Dinahmow stuns with Quisqualis and lizard porn!

 

6th November : It's more spectacular than fireworks at Delores Delargo Towers

 

8th November : Melanie went speeding through the countryside

 

10th November : Ms Scarlet saw a Big Pink Opportunity

 

12th November : Uptonking has the most beautiful garbage

 

14th November : Mr Tonking returned with a vengeance - Bigger and better than ever!

 

16th November : Mitzi taunted her neighbours with a peach (and some lemons)

18th November : Another full moon rose over the House of Borghese

 

 

20th November : Ms Nations' spiders fill a mansion!

 

22nd November : Dear Savvy bestowed a kiss from a rose

 

24th November : Was there a wedding here at Hexenhäusli Device?

 

Kiss From a Rose, by Seal (1994)

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Most Popular Plants

 

 Now that you've reminded yourselves of the various collections of greenery, it's time to have a look at some of the popular plants from this year's Event.  Counting down from ten, these are the specimens that can be found featuring in more than one garden along the tour (although I have used one or two lurking in the background to break a tie here and there): 

 

❦ At number ten we have a four-way tie:

Agapanthus at Jon's & Madam Arcati's and mine.

Azaleas at Ms Scarlet's and Mr Tonking's.

Callistemon at Mitzi's and mine.

Erythroniums via Melanie and me.

❦ Re-entering the chart (from 2021) at #9: Irises at Mr Tonking's (North Garden) and mine.

❦ Another re-entry (2021 again) at #8: Lilies at Mr Tonking's (North Garden) and mine.

❦ Down one (from 2023) at #7: Salvias at Jon's & Madam Arcati's and Mistress Maddie's.

❦ A new entry at #6: Zinnias at at Mr Tonking's (North Garden) and Mistress Maddie's.

❦ Down one (2023) at #5: Fuchsias at Jon's & Madam Arcati's, Mistress Maddie's, and in the background at mine.

❦ A new entry at #4: Peonies at Mr Tonking's (North Garden - not in flower), Mitzi's and Mistress Maddie's.

❦ A new entry at #3: Hemerocallis at Mr Tonking's (both gardens) and mine.

❦ At #2, another new entry: Pelargoniums at Ms Scarlet's, Mr Tonking's, and Mistress Maddie's.

 

❦ And in the number one spot, up one place from last year: Roses - as seen at Jon's & Madam A's, Mr Tonking's North Garden, Mitzi's (in the background only), Mistress Maddie's, and Savvy's.

 

 

 And in the Indie chart, happy to be unique and not found in any other gardens this year or in previous IDV years were: Dinahmow's Quisqualis, Mistress Maddie's Cassia, and Ms Nation's potato* amongst others.

* (In)famously, dear LẌ submitted an actual potato as his GPE entry back in 2015...

 

Can You Dig It? by The Mock Turtles (1991)

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Official Plant Spotter Observations

 

 Has Jon earned his keep as the Official Plant Spotter of Hexenhäusli Device and its Extensive Witchdom, nay, All of Blogdom Itself, or is there a usurper (or two) waiting in the wings to snatch his title?  Let's see:

 

❦ The first plant spotting observation occured before the GPE even began!  But as luck would have it, the post in which the observation was made was re-blogged as part of this Event.  Yes, that post was Ms Nations' starring vehicle for her Nasturtiums, and it was none other than Savvy who identified Ms Nations' "Ficus repens" as a pothos (possibly Epipremnum aureum). 

❦ Jon's first observation was when he swooped in to save the day by (possibly) identifying a garlicky scented plant growing in Mitzi's garden as Ramsons, the wild garlic (Allium ursinum).

❦ A day later and he was at it again, this time guessing that a white flower presented by Ms Scarlet was a three-cornered leek (Allium triquetrum - to which I concur as the three-sided flower stem can just about be made out in the photo).

❦ Ms Proximablue, Melanie, was next to get in on the action when she identified Mr Tonking's South House "bush" as an Azalea.

❦ Not to be outdone, Jon answered Mr Tonking's call and identified Maddie's "orange daisy looking one" as a Gazania which Maddie cross-checked and verified!

 

❦ And Jon's final observation was at mine just a couple of days ago in which he identified the small, blue flowering plant in my penultimate photo as a Sysyrinchium bellum (Californian blue-eyed grass).  Thank you, Jon!

 So, once again, Jon has proven his worth and keeps his title for another year.  Well done, Jon!

We're not giving you a pay rise, though.

Do we even pay him?

Shhhhhhh!

 

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The "Did I Win Yet?"s

 

 Because someone - or someones - just had to.  Including mrpeenee who couldn't even be bothered to send in a couple of photos of his houseplants so we can see how they're doing!

 The runner up was - a possibly unwitting - Jon with an endorsement from Ms Nations: "I am super looking forward to finding out if Jon won yet!"

 But the winner - not that there is one because the Infomaniac Garden Photos Event is NOT A COMPETITION! - who called the Event both a contest and a competition (and contest again) is...

 

S A V V Y !

 It seems dear Savvy was egged on by the "Did I Win Yet" King & Tyrant and Dictator for Life (and the Afterlife), LẌ himself!  Oh, and Ms Scarlet.  They're living in a daydream.

Daydream in Blue by I Monster (1991)

 

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  Well, that's just about it for another year.  All that remains is to thank you all for taking part, whether you showed off your greenery and answered the comments & questions, or were just wandering around taking it all in so, thank you!  I hope you enjoyed it and will return next year. 

 And for any irregulars, lurkers, and/or friends of friends who would like to take part, please do!  You don't have to be an Infomaniac Bitch or have a place on my Sideboard to join in - you don't even need a blog.  All that's required are a few photos of a plant or plants that you've been nurturing (or at least not actively killing) throughout the year.

 As always, I've had a marvellous time behind the scenes gasping in delight when you fill my in-box, and then devising methods to best display the results of your green-fingering.  I even rather enjoy scouring through your old blog posts for traces of green to construct a GPE post in the event that something derails your promised photos from reaching me, fortunately!

 

 Finally, enormous thanks to the Infomaniac herself, The Very Mistress, for allowing and trusting me to host the Garden Photos Event once more.  It's been an absolute pleasure!

 

 Oh, and an extra special thank you to the Official Hexenhäusli Device Woodsman for services rendered.

Oh, sorry.  Did it go in your face?

 

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 Just a moment, Mr Devine.  Aren't you forgetting something?

 Am I?  I didn't think we'd-

 Exactly.  You didn't think, as per usual.  Do you want to impede my recovery?

 Um.  No, Ms Scarlet.  No, I suppose I don't.

 Good.  Where is it, then?  No pressure, of course.

 Sigh...  Here it is:

 

 I'll get you for this, Melanie!