GPE 2025 : The Finale

* C R A C K *

 

 Drat it!  Who stood on that twig and startled my woodsman?  Now I'll have to leave him be for a while before I can sneak up again and snatch that horrid flannel shirt away.  Bah!

 Well, seeing as you're all here, we might as well get on with the closing ceremony.

 

 Thank you to everyone who took part in this year's Event.  Whether you shared your garden photos, visited and left comments, or just wandered around gazing at the various botanical specimens on show (and avoiding the triffids - unless you didn't, in which case, thanks for acting as fertiliser!).

The gardens and greenery were full of gorgeousness once again and, as always, served as inspiration for next year.

 Here's what we got up to:

 

Programme of Events

 

The  I N F O M A N I A C  GARDEN PHOTOS EVENT 2O25

 began on Hallowe'en with the now traditional TERRIFYING TRIFFIDERY!

 

 

1st November

The  I N F O M A N I A C  GARDEN PHOTOS EVENT

opening ceremony

 

 

4th November : Ms Scarlet

 

 

 

6th November : Ms Nations

 

 

 

8th November : Mistress Maddie

 

 

10th November : Dinahmow

 

 

12th November : Elephant's Child

 

 

14th November : Savvy

 

 

16th November : Jon & Madam Arcati

 

 

18th November : Mago

 

 

20th November : Mitzi

 

 

22nd November : Melanie

 

 

24th November : Me, IDV 

 

 

And here's where in the world we all garden from:

☙❧

 

Thumbs and Bums

 

 Did you spot all the thumbs and bums during the tour?  Some were more obvious than others *coughMaddiecough* and not all of them belonged to the gardeners...

 

 In order of appearance: 

❦ Dinah's thumb in "Triffid #1" photo, 

❦ Barney's bum in "Triffid #2 & #9" photos, and 

❦ Mago's thumb in "Triffid #11" photo - all found in the initial GPE post (and their respective GPE posts).  

❦ Maddie's bum - sorry, "moon platters" - was the final (concealed) photo in her post.

❦ Sue's thumb (and finger) held a daffodil for the camera in her post.

❦ Mitzi's interfering neighbour's bum featured in her post.

❦ My thumb shone brightly in my loganberries photo (and the tip of my thumb and a few cronefingers could be glimpsed in my peony photo), and 

❦ Bitey's fluffy bum was glimpsed later on in my August South Garden photo.

 

 So, there you have it.  Four thumbs and four bums!

 

☙❧

 

Popular Plants

 

 Amongst the popular stalwarts from last year such as hydrangeas, pansies, fuchsias, and peonies, were some new additions to the Mean Girls Clique Popular Plants Club:

 

❦ Gladioli grown by both Melanie and me.

❦ Crocosmias / Montbretia in both Ms Scarlet's and my garden, and my allotment (all on the right, there).

 

In the #2 spot, being grown in the gardens of three Bloggerati, we have:

❦ Camelias (a new entry) - Sue, Dinah, Melanie

❦ Lilies (up one place from last year) - Jon, Me, Melanie

 

❦ Roses (last year's most popular plant) almost retained the top spot from last year by appearing in four gardens again, those of Maddie, Savvy, Jon, and mine.

 

But The Most Popular Plants of the Infomaniac Garden Photos Event 2025, appearing in four gardens and an allotment, are (much to my delight):

❦ Foxgloves! 

 

Foxgloves can be seen in the gardens of Ms Scarlet, Maddie, Jon, and my own - twice (up the allotment and in the Hexenhäusli Device Gardens).

 

☙❧

 

Peerless Planting

 

 I think everyone had something unique growing in their garden or window, from Ms Scarlet's smoke bush, to Savvy's aloes, to my water hawthorn.  But a greenspace of entirely exclusive planting eluded all but a very few of you green-fingered Bloggerati.  Only two of you, in fact.

 

 Sorry Ms Nations, you almost made it a threesome, but the merest glimpse of spiderplants on our garage wall Green Gate scuppered your chances.  Your pothos makes for a very fine - and bejewelled - runner up, though.

 

 So, tying for the most uniquely planted gardens (or windowsill) are Mago and Mitzi! 

 

 

 Mago, Plant A has come through for you as no one else is growing a Hoya carnosa!  (But not the apple, as Ms Scarlet thwarted an outright win by including a photo of her apple blossom.)

 And Mitzi, your garden is full of unique plants!  (You can thank Savvy for keeping you from enjoying the number one spot without Mago, by bizarrely including that place-setting photo which included a small dish of sliced lemons...)

I don't think we've seen this much inappropriately placed fruit since Beast was around!

And I thought the Garden Photos Event wasn't a competition and didn't have winners?

Drat! 

 

☙❧

 

Official Plant Spotter Observations

 

 Well, plant spotting was a bit of a free-for-all this year - Jon, the Official Plant Spotter of Hexenhäusli Device and its Extensive Witchdom, nay, All of Blogdom Itself, barely got a look in during the actual Event!  Is it because you're all becoming experts after this many years of the GPE?  Or maybe Jon let you all get on with it as he's not getting paid? 

 

Paid or not, Jon started early - February, in fact - when he identified Savvy's aloe (and that identification made it into Savvy's GPE post).

(Speaking of Savvy, Mitzi identified the main course based on Savvy's table setting: Lobster!)

 

Jon then identified a massive pink salvia at The Old Vicarage Gardens (Not the GPE) as S. Involucrata, and also "The "C" plant is the rather faboo Cleome".

Later in the same post, he was "pretty sure that "cloud of blue" is Phlox paniculata, dear Dinah! Ceanothus in the UK is generally over by May... Jx" 

 

 Ms Scarlet identified her own "mauve bush thing" as "a European Smoke Bush, apparently." 

 

I managed to identify Ms Nations' spiderplant (although not the name 'Viridia').

 

Jane and Lance Hattatt confirmed the identity of Mitzi's Japanese anemone, and Jon seconded the identification. 

 

 So, that's four identifications from Jon along with a seconded confirmation. Your title is safe for another year, Jon.  Well done - and thank you!

 

☙❧

 

The "Did I Win Yet?"s

 

"The CONTEST is back!!!!!!!" cheered Ms Scarlet.  Hmmmm.... (Beware of the Cream Tea War if you click the link)!

 

The reigning champion, Savvy, entered the fray after a decisive battle in the Cream Tea War with the very suspicious "Hey, sweetpea! Maddie reminded me that the GARDEN PHOTO not-a-contest Event is upon us! I needed to stop by and check the due dates for the not-a-contest submissions! I AM READY!! xoxo"

And just afterwards, Ms Nations just got right to the point with: "...did I win?" 

 

Savvy then popped into the final GPE reminder with "*it is a contest and some of us know that* IYKYK"

And then there was this: "By the by, I want to go ON RECORD as having sent MY photos in BEFORE the dealing without having to be chastized about my tardiness as in the past! (So, I won, right?) xoxo" (of course, "dealing" was supposed to be "deadline"...)

 

"Oh I won!!!!!!  I am FIRST!!!!"  exclaimed Ms Scarlet just because she was the first to get ALL her garden photos in before the deadline.

 

Mago was next in line with the classic "Did I win yet?"

 

Surprising everyone, it was Savvy who stepped in to put Ms Scarlet in her place - and make me let out a bark of laughter - with "To be clear, I will agree that Ms Scarlet won being first, but NOT the GPE because as I am always reminded *I'm looking at you, IDV* the GPE is NOT a contest! Ha! xoxo" 

 

And then she reverted to type with "I truly look forward to all of the garden photo contest! *snickering*" 

 

 I think we can safely say that, yes, Savvy, you did win yet - but only the "Did I Win Yet?"s!  Because, as we all know, The Garden Photos Event is NOT a contest!!!

 

☙❧

 

 And that's it from the  I N F O M A N I A C  GARDEN PHOTOS EVENT for another year.  We hope you all enjoyed yourselves and have taken some inspiration for your own green spaces, whether indoors or out.

 Hopefully we'll see the results of your efforts in next year's event. 

 Once again, thank you to everyone who took part, and especially to The Very Mistress, the Infomaniac herself, without whom there wouldn't be a Garden Photos Event! 

 

 

 Oh, I managed to dispose of that hideous shirt, but my woodsman found out and got his chopper out in retaliation.  Ah, well, I can live with that...

 

☙ Happy Gardening! ❧

 

 

Addendum (27/11/2025): You may remember Ms Nations provided cuttings rooting in jars of water for her Terrifying Triffidery photo, but we never found out what they were cuttings of.  Until now!

Ms Nations emailed me (a week ago - I am crap with checking my emails again now that the GPE is pretty much over) and had this to say:

 

 "Those are cuttings of coleus, and they all struck! I've got them potted up and everything. I don't know what I've got, but everything is losing its mind! I'm ready to start training my creepers into garlands.

 "Just for the record, it's this kind of coleus. Erowid Online Books : "Golden Guide Hallucinogenic Plants" - pg 131-140."