Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Aeoniums, what ya'll did with them...

When it was all said and done I received eleven entries for the Aeonium Challenge...yay for that! Although I have to say I think this was a hard one for many. Unlike the other "Challenges," where we took a maligned plant and tried to look at it through fresh, new, "hipster" glasses, Aeoniums are already cool.

I appreciate the time you all took to send in your entries, here they are in the order that I received them. First from Cherry Ong – love the contrasts...

Nancy Shiffman – I think it's an old fan? Lush...

Gayle Fraser – Gayle sent me numerous images of HUGE Aeoniums in her garden. I was jealous.

Angela Loftin – looks to be quite a large specimen?

Stacey Stewart – and she claims she can't keep an Aeonium alive? Great photo.

Eric Peterson – another sizeable specimen, and I love the detail on the container.

Poor Jim – The colors shocked me at first, but the longer I looked at the photo I started to really love them.

Tim Vojt – okay I have to admit the seafoam Artemisia distracted me...and look at that cute little Agave...

Molly Malecki – dark and dramatic...

Peter Herpst – he calls this one 'Lust'...

Kris Peterson – Kris put together a few entries and used crowd sourcing to decide which to send in. Then went with her own choice (which I love)...

So those are our entries...and the winner is!..
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But wait, there were a couple of "just for fun" entries. This one from Hoover/Piece of Eden. She took this shot when visiting the Huntington Gardens. Isn't it fabulous? All those Aeoniums planted en masse, burning color flowing across the ground...***swoon***...

And this fabulous headpiece was created by Susan Soto, our winner for the last two challenges (OC&K and Poinsettia). Susan sent in a post-deadline photo, knowing she was too late to enter but still wanting to have fun. Can you even imagine how special you'd feel with that on your head?

Okay now for real: our esteemed judging panel chose 'Lust' as The Aeonium Challenge winner!!!

Peter sent a description with his image, which I feel needs to be shared: "The eyes of the skull are Aeonium 'Zwartkop' and the potted plant, pruned by Morticia Addams, is Aeonium 'Kiwi.' That's the thing about plant nerds, sometimes they see things in a plant that may or may not be there. Maybe it's about humankind's lust to own or control natural beauty and in the possessing, they rob the original object of it's beauty and end up looking a bit silly themselves. Maybe one thinks the other has a great body but is a bit lacking in the brain department. On the other hand, maybe the guy's a boob man and after a few drinks, he's seeing more there than there is."

So fun and creative...big congrats to Peter – I'll be in touch about your fabulous winnings generously donated by Cistus Nursery!

All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

22 comments:

  1. Great choice!! As I was scrolling I immediately exclaimed to myself that Peter's offering was really unique. And you chose his entry, cool!

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    1. Well I didn't chose the judges did - but his was my favorite!

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  2. Another fun challenge with lots of cool entries from which to learn and be inspired. Participating in these is always enjoyable and I'm excited to have won something from one of my favorite nurseries!

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    1. Lucky you! And thank you for taking the time to put together an inspiring (and winning) entry.

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  3. Congrats to Peter! His entry is so indicative of his wonderful personality and wit. I love it.

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  4. Bold and fun choice! The "problem" (and that's too harsh a word) I had with this contest is it's quite geographically limited. Aeoniums may be commonplace on the west coast, but around here they're not easy to find (or are expensive)!

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    1. And the Californians expressed a similar "problem" with the Poinsettia Challenge. I guess a side-benefit to this whole Challenge thing is I discover once again what a wonderful part of the world I live in!

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  5. All the entries are great! That Aeonium/flower hat reminds me of some of the hats my mother had - and actually wore. Peter deserves the win for taking a concept in a wonderful and unexpected direction.

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    1. You're mom must have been quite the fashionista!

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  6. Peter once again proved that he has a wicked sense of humor :-).

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  7. I actually laughed out loud when I saw Peter's entry: he definitely is an outlaw AND a winner! Hard to go wrong with aeoniums, though: each one looks great. Love the hat and the mass planting Huntington is spectacular. But...
    I can hardly stop thinking about and looking at the burgundy-fading-to-peach, NoID (Garnet?) Aeonium in Kris Peterson's container. Any cuttings for sale, Kris? :)

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    1. Hey Kris!...

      I can connect the two of you via email just say the word.

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  8. Oh those eyeballs! Will Susan do a tutorial so we can all make our own gorgeous headpiece? Two brilliant artists.

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    1. She just might! I know she's been learning from a master (Francoise Weeks)

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  9. Beautiful combinations. Being unique goes a long way. I used to have a plant but it just didn't like Texas.

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  10. Hahaha, I love Peter´s aeonium. Aeoniums can win even dead... And I think the headpiece that Susan Soto made is gorgeous!!

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  11. Such fun! Peter's entry is visually arresting, but it soars when the words are added. Reminds me of Tom Wolf's 'The Painted Word'.

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  12. These are all fabulous, and Peter's is just - out of this world!

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