GPE #9 : Melanie's Nature-led Naughtiness

In  Proximity  to  Purple

a Garden Photos Event installation by

M E L A N I E

 

 Here we are in Melanie's garden for the ninth stop on the Garden Photos Event tour.  Let's see what she has for us:

Fuchsia and ferns

GPE #8 : Jon & Madam Arcati's Garden Show'n'Tell

Jon and Madam Arcati

welcome you to

D E L O R E S   D E L A R G O   T O W E R S

G A R D E N S

A Garden Photos Event feature

 Yes, it's the turn of Jon & Madam A with their ever popular efforts in the Extensive Gardens of Delores Delargo Towers.  And it starts with a star...

 

"Star of the Year": Geranium maderense - after a three-year wait, this magnificent 3ft-by-3ft gem flowered from early May to the end of June!

 

❦

GPE #7 : Gardening for Gratis, by Mitzi

M I T Z I ' S

T A L E S  F R O M  T H E  L A N Ā I

a Garden Photos Event feature

 I was going to attempt a witty introduction, but it'll be clear when you read through that I have no hope of matching Mitzi's wits, so I'll just let her get on with it.  Take it away, Mitzi!

Variegated ivy cuttings, taken from the local graveyard!

See the summer house in the background?  I caught the maid in fragrante delicto late one night in there with a grindr meet!  Least said, soonest mended.

GPE #6 : Pam Demic's Veiny, Purple Love Cabbage

Maddie, the Mistress Borghese

stars as

P A M   D E M I C

in the

Garden Photos Event

 I'm looking forward to seeing everybody's garden or succulents again.  Of course the Mistress is ready and dressed for the tour this year.
 

 Since I am torn between the Casa du Borghese which has no garden, and the ancestral manor, I was able to potter around in my Mother's garden and bring some of the splendor back from what my father had done in his gardening hobby days.  This year the new back garden or shade garden turned out lovely from plants my father had originally had in the garden... mostly hostas and Astilbe, with some mountain mint thrown in for good measure.  The shade garden had in it this spring some lovely peony and alliums. 

GPE #5 : Ms Scarlet and her Pulsating Pink Bush!

The Great Blogging Gardening Show

presents

M S   S C A R L E T

and her

Pulsating Pink Bush!

 Ms Scarlet renamed The Infomaniac Garden Photos Event to "The Great Blogging Gardening Show" (possibly due to a bout of overexcitedness.  Or forgetfulness...).  But, whatever it's called, it wouldn't be complete without a showing of Ms Scarlet's Big Pink Bush™ so, for your delectation, here it is in all its pulsating perfection:

 Now, let's hear what Ms Scarlet has to say about her gardening efforts, shall we?

 Dear Mr Devine,

 As you are aware I am not much of a gardener, I don't like getting my hands dirty, nor do I like unearthing live electricity cables [commonly found beneath the gardens of Devon], despite this I have done my best to provide enough pictures of my back yard to have a post all to myself.

 Firstly, some pretty flowers, freshly bought from the garden centre - to be honest it might have been kinder to rent them as I think they are dead now.  I believe they fell victim to the enormous slugs.

GPE #4 : Clue - The Dinahmow Edition

D I N A H M O W

at the

Garden Photos Event

with the

Sensitive Weed! 

I am going to try sending some garden pics.  Well, you managed it, Dinahmow.   On the day, if my memory marbles have not rolled away, I'll try to put more on my blog!  And you managed that, too!  But huge thanks, in advance, for hosting the garden party.  Ooh!  Did I say "party"?  I wonder if there will be crocque em bouche and Black Forest?  She's thinking of this.

1. Red Anthurium

GPE #3 : Top-Dressing with Hound

H O U N D

at the

 Gymkhana of Gardening

 Hound is not a gardener - he lives in Birmingham, for Christsakes! - but has seen fit to take part in this "gymkhana of gardening" (his own words) in his own inimitable way.  Let's see what he has to show us:

"Against my better judgement, a picture of me gardening"

 Now, Hound only sent me two images displaying his gardening 'skills' - the one above, and another that beggars description, quite frankly.  But, before we get to that one, I scoured his 2021 blog posts in an effort to find some greenery to pad this out a bit.  The results were... lacking, let's just say.  I found two pictures only very tangentially related to gardening - both from April:

GPE #2 : Rancho FirstNations

The Gardens of

R A N C H O  F I R S T N A T I O N S

'The Crap Fence'

 Now, Ms Nations got herself a new camera phone earlier in the year, and was so excited at the prospect that she had this to say: "Hold your horses, get ye ahold of The Mistress and Inexplicable DeVice and let them know the news:

FIRSTNATIONS HAS TAKEN PICTURES OF HER SPRING GARDEN!!!" and, consequently, was the first of you to provide snaps for the Infomaniac Garden Photos Event 2021.

 In fact, she sent me reams upon reams of garden photos - well, 48 or so - back in May!  (Now that's dedication to the cause - take note for next year, the rest of you).  But, in the excitement of the moment, the only thing she had to say about her garden was: "Here it is! Today everything began blooming! Squeee!!!"

 However, with a little research, I was able to find some of these photos (along with many others) on her blog, Steve.  Because 'Steve' is almost as a nice a name as 'Paul' was., and have lifted some of Ms Nation's comments from there to use here (linked to for your convenience).

 So as not to create a post ten miles long which would wear your scrolling fingers out to get through, I took the liberty of grouping some of the similarly themed photos together in what I hope are pleasing combinations.  Oh, and I'm sure you all know by now, just click the photos to embigulate them.  Or, right click and open in a new tab/window.  FYI, the photos on Ms Nations' blog are even bigger still, so if you see something that you want a real close up view of, just go there for a proper snoop.

GPE #1 - Terrifying Triffidery Results & The League of Extraordinary Gardeners

 Yes, it's that time at last!

Welcome to the

I N F O M A N I A C

 Garden Photos Event 2021!

I see many of you managed to get through the Terrifying Triffidery exhibit relatively unscathed.

No matter, there's always next year...

 Right, then.  We'd better start the show.  First up, a little background for any newcomers or the easily befuddled:  The Garden Photos Event first appeared on our screens ten years ago, brought into existence by The Very Mistress (then known as MJ), the Infomaniac herself!  It was an occasion for Infomaniac Bitches to show off their green fingers and thumbs by displaying their gardens/windowboxes/houseplants/salad drawer for all and sundry to gaze at in wonder/mine for ideas/critique with scathing derision - no, not that last one, forget that.  For you see, the GPE was a safe space to mingle and enjoy the greenery, and NOT a competition (as The Very Mistress had to stress more than once).

 It was so popular that it became an annual event and, in 2020, The Very Mistress relinquished the reins to me (a great honour indeed) which is why the GPE is now being hosted here at Inexplicable Device.  A little more of its history can be found here, along with links to all the featured gardens up until 2020.  Links to 2020's gardens can be found here (or just click my Garden Photos Event label/tag-thingy).

 So, onto the gardens.  Let me just throw open the French doors so we can all go outsi-

 Ah.  It appears that my League of Extraordinary Gardeners haven't quite finished all their mowing and hoeing.  Apologies.  Um...  Oh, what to do now?  Ah!  I know: let's take a look at those Terrifying Triffidery specimens and find out who sent in what.

Terrifying Triffidery 2021: A Garden Photos Event Attraction

- "It is amazing, really, how many plants we think of as benign are actually merely biding their time before they kill us all and conquer the planet!" Jx -

I couldn't have said it better myself, Jon.

 Ah, welcome to the 2021 edition of Terrifying Triffidery! 

 Before we get going, you'll be a little taster for-

 No!  The line is "Here's a little taster of what's coming up" and point to Venus and her many mouths on the right there.

 But she's hungry!

 You're not to feed the visiting Blogorati to the Triffids!  What do you think we stocked up on all those commoners, chavs and other people for?

 Oh.  Well, yes, okay then.  I did wonder why the gift shop's pick-n-mix dispensers were full of oiks.  

 I knew I should have done this myself...

 Oh, you're such a worrywart.  I'm sure the Blogorati weren't even paying attention.  Look!  They've already tired of your nagging and wandered off to see if they can guess which of them sent in what.

 Hmmmph!  I hope you remembered to label the specimens?

 Of course I did!  I hope...

Art Trek: Creepy Cosplay

 Disaster has struck!

 Okay, so that may be a bit overdramatic... 

 I'd just finished sewing a couple of bits of gold ribbon around the cuffs of a cheapo red long-sleeved T-shirt, went to put it on so I could pin on the narrower gold ribbon for the shoulder yoke and...

... couldn't get my hands through the sleeve cuffs anymore!!!

 "What is that silly witch going on about?", I hear you ask.  Why, it's (nearing*) the end of a month so that means it's time for some Star Trek fan art.  My Star Trek fan art!  As my piece, "These are a few of my favourite things!" got the most votes in the previous challenge, I got to set the theme for this one - and here it is:

The theme for this challenge is Creepy Cosplay!

Wet Shags with Old Groynes

 Oh, there's so much to do and yet so little time!

 Where has the year gone?  And why do I have the feeling that something important is coming up?

Well, why don't you look at the calendar, you dolt?!

Rude!

 But what a splendid idea:

 Ah, just in time!  Allowing for time zones and other time travel-related nonsense, while still the 22nd here, it is the 23rd in Queensland so: Happy birthday, Dinahmow!

 And in a couple of days time, it will be Mistress Maddie's turn on the birthday merry-go-round!

oOo