Happy New Year, Bitches!

Mr. DeVice's Garden Photos

The final entry in the EIGHTH ANNUAL INFOMANIAC GARDEN PHOTOS EVENT comes to us from Mr. DeVice's chateau in Overstrand, Norfolk, England. Please click the pics to embiggen.

I only have a couple of suitable photos this year, as the gardens of my temporary abode, Chateau DeVice, are quite bijou and mostly paved.  Nevertheless, the pots have done well, as I hope these photos show.  The ‘front door’ photo is from the beginning of July, and the close-up is from mid-August. 
 

The front door has an extremely fragrant climbing rose on the left and honeysuckle on the right.  Flanking them are a pair of standard olive trees (the only pictured plants growing in the ground), and globe topiarised box bushes (Buxus).  

I’m especially pleased with my pineapple lilies (Eucomis comosa), the bulb of the pictured one split last year to provide two flower spikes this year.  And I’ve noticed it’s split once again this year, so there may be a third next year (although, I’m going to separate them in the Spring so there’s one per pot). 

Thank you, Mr. DeVice.

And thanks to all of you for your patience in waiting for the rather belated Garden Event of 2018. Before you know it, it will be spring!

Everyone into the Gincuzzi!

If this doesn't cheer you Bitches up, nothing will...

Click to embiggen

Cards on the Table

Cards on the table, Bitches...

How was your 2018?

Merry Christmas, Bitches!

The Mistress has snapped on her Mistletoe Belt Buckle...

 
You know what THAT means.

Don't look so clueless...

Of course you know what it means.

Yes, it's that special time of the year again. Mirth, merriment, martinis and men. 

We here at Infomaniac wish you a safe and happy holiday.

AyeM8y's Garden Photo

Our next entry in the EIGHTH ANNUAL INFOMANIAC GARDEN PHOTOS EVENT is AyeM8y (Mean Dirty Pirate) in Florida...

Click to enlarge

I just couldn't resist sharing what's left of my garden and my new favorite planter.

I will be returning to my blog now that Tumblr has banned porn. And I miss you guys.
- Mean Dirty Pirate "AyeM8y"

Mitzi's Garden Photos

Our next entry in the EIGHTH ANNUAL INFOMANIAC GARDEN PHOTOS EVENT is Mitzi from England. Over to you, hen.

 

I drove past my grandma's old house a while back and was pleased to see the pampas grasses I bought as a child at a church fete for 5p each are still thriving today, 30 odd years later. My Gran thought they were bulrushes and planted them between the roses. As you can see, they soon took over her front garden and you know what they say about having pampas grass in the front garden!

 

Pampas grass

 

My back garden with a view of the wash house / freezer shed...

Click to enlarge

 

Not one of mine but imagine them all wearing Crocs...

 

The Maidenhair fern I call Barbra (Ms Streisand to you) so called because she is very highly strung and has seen better days...

 

The Easter cacti was left outside last winter, it survived the Beast from the East but it was in a very sorry state. I brought it in and It's perked up a treat. Aspidistra in the background...

 

Thank you, Mitzi!

Norma's Garden Photos

Our next entry in the EIGHTH ANNUAL INFOMANIAC GARDEN PHOTOS EVENT is Miss Normadesmond. Give it to us, Norma.

Initially, I hired an experienced landscaper.

 Her continual raking annoyed me, so I found Duke on Craigslist.

An expert mower, I’m considering using him to plow this winter.

When Duke was busy with other tasks, the Mistress (!) pinch-hit with the mowing. Sweet of her, huh?

Ultimately, I hire all the work out & enjoy myself.

 

Fuck it, I’m worth it!

Miss Scarlet's Garden Photo

Our next entry in the EIGHTH ANNUAL INFOMANIAC GARDEN PHOTOS EVENT is Miss Scarlet...

"Here is my frosty pic... which is not technically in my garden.... but is very close. I'm going abstract this year."

LX's Garden Photo

The next entry in the EIGHTH ANNUAL INFOMANIAC GARDEN PHOTOS EVENT is LX from Texas. Take it away, LX!
 

This is a ficus (Ficus benjamina ?) plant. It is not mine. It is in my doctor's waiting room. I figure I have paid for it many times over. So this is my entry this year.

Did I win yet?

Note: The Management reminds you that the Garden Photos Event is not a contest.

Jeffery's Garden Photos

The next entry in the EIGHTH ANNUAL INFOMANIAC GARDEN PHOTOS EVENT is Jeffery from Philadelphia. 

Click pics to enlarge.

Moon Vines

Jerusalem Artichokes

Violas

Foxgloves and Prince of Orange Poppies

The Jungle

Cimicifuga, Liatris, and Sweet White Peas

Thank you, Jeffery!

Jon's Garden Photos

The EIGHTH ANNUAL INFOMANIAC GARDEN PHOTOS EVENT starts today! 

Our first entry is from JON in London, England. Click pics to enlarge...

From "Narnia" to "Club Tropicana" in one year? What an utterly stressful start we had to 2018 (and especially so for our garden) - we put down a deposit in January on a new flat, then had the onerous task of digging up our entire, mature, carefully-nurtured plant collection in order to either dump them, give them away, or re-plant them into pots, in preparation for the move. In February! As if that wasn't bad enough, we could only watch as probably the worst, coldest, dampest March in decades ["The Beast from the East"] froze everything we'd transported.

But once things thawed out - and we went on to have a lovely mild Spring - the whole shebang survived and thrived (entirely in pots) through the Great Heatwave we had in June, July and August - and in the process we created probably the best garden we've had so far... 

[clockwise from left] Hesperis matronalis (Sweet Rocket); Ipomoea tricolor (Morning Glory) "Kniola's Black"; Digitalis purpurea (Foxglove); Lilium martagon "Nicotine".

 

 

[clockwise from left] Aquilegia x hybrida "Blue Star"; Dahlia (grown from seed variety "Bishop's Children" back in 2014); Fuchsia "Bobolink" (just one of twenty-one varieties we have collected this year); Monarda didyma "Red Colours".

 

 

Tree Lily (probably "Pretty Woman"); Asarina scandens; Phlox paniculata; Ipomoea lobata (Spanish Flag).

There's much, much more I could share pictures of, of course - from early spring bulbs such as iris, snowdrops, daffodils and crocus, to early summer flowers like lupins, thalictrum, geranium, polemonium, lobelia and campanula, to annuals (or half-hardies) such as petunia, hollyhock, pelargonium, verbena, mimulus, nicotiana, begonia, thunbergia, cobaea and impatiens, to the ever-lovely and enduring salvias.  But one has to stop somewhere!
 

And what better way than with our mid-summer visitor, the endlessly amusing "Smiling Wasp" (Ectemnius cavifrons), which helped rid us of pesky caterpillars for several months, all the while craning its neck to keep its eye on us?!

 

Thank you, Jon!

TFGES: The Journey Continues

Before we start in on the garden photos, be sure to visit Rimpy Rimpington's Continuing History of the Freakin' Green Elf Shorts. 

Rimpy picks up where my Definitive History of the Freakin' Green Elf Shorts left off but he also does a bang-up job of recapping all the previous entries.

Rimpy Rimpington

Mr. Rimpington is now in charge of documenting the further adventures of our beloved item of green apparel. 

A round of applause for Rimpy! Long live The Freakin' Green Elf Shorts! 

And another round of applause for Mr. DeVice. When you visit Rimpy's blog, you'll see the map Mr. DeVice created at the top of the page to follow the trail of filth as The Shorts circle the globe. 

So CLICK HERE now for The Continuing History of the Freakin' Green Elf Shorts!