The3Growbags Christmas Quiz 2024

It’s Christmas!  Here at last after all that crazy build-up!  As usual, we have temporarily hung up our writing quills and devised a quiz for you.  

Pour yourself a cuppa (or a glass of mulled wine), snaffle a mince pie or three, grab a pencil and paper and have a go at these puzzlers. And if you get stuck, there is a link to the answers at the bottom of the page!

A. Animal word safari

We have all become SOOOO much better at looking after the precious wildlife in our gardens, hurray!  See if you can reach all the native creatures in this word-puzzle.  It’s one continuous puzzle, they are all chasing after each other!  Fill in the steps between each animal by changing one letter at a time, making a complete word each time:

EXAMPLE: WASP, WASH, WISH, FISH

MOLE, 

____,

 ____,

HARE,

____,

____,

____,

GULL,

____,

____,

____,

COOT,

____,

____,

____,

TOAD,

____,

____,

WORM.

13 marks in total, if you’re counting.

B. Gardens in a muddle

After all that chasing around after wildlife, we might fancy a quiet stroll back through the garden admiring all its many features.  But you’re feeling dizzy (too much mulled wine?) and all the signs have gone squiffy.  Can you work these anagrams out:

Example: TUNA INFO = FOUNTAIN!

1. CAR TREE
2. RAVER TYCOONS
3. BERRY BUSH
4. NAKED RETCHING (!!!!!) (That was some party!)
5. RYE CORK
6. LOG PEAR
7. BROWSER FOLDER

PS: Numbers 4 and 7 are two words, rather than just one.

1 mark for each

C. Garden trivia

Now you’ve got the garden signage sorted out, it’s time to settle down, put your feet up and  answer these horticulturally-related trivia questions:

1. Which amphibian sponsors the Chelsea Flower Show?

2. Which presenter of Dancing on Ice has a seasonally appropriate first name?

3. What is the surname of the actor who shares his name with a type of fir-tree? [Think ‘Fatal Attraction’]

4. Which Christmas plant is named after an amateur botanist and first US minister to Mexico?

5. Which presenter of Gardeners World has the ‘chilliest’ surname?

1 mark for each. So that’s 25 marks in total for the word games section.

Now it’s over to Laura for some plant ID:

D. Plant ID quiz

Yes it’s over to me for some PROPER horticulture…

Do you recognise the following 10 garden plants from their photos and clues ? Give yourself an extra mince pie if you can have a shot at their scientific name as well as their common one.

No 1

Clue: Its common name includes an amphibian that likes to live in the same dank, dark corners as this plant does.

No 2.

Clue: You could supposedly drink afternoon tea out of this tender climber, more usually seen in its purple form.

No 3.

Clue: A native annual beloved by those trying to establish a wildflower meadow as it parasitises and reduces the vigour of dominant grasses.

No 4.

Clue: In my humble opinion the most scented cultivar of the most scented group of cottage garden plants

No 5.

Clue: A bombproof houseplant and the only one I have ever seen surviving in Caroline’s house.

No 6.

Clue: A plant that used only to be seen in Spanish tourist resorts, but now worth trying in urban or coastal locations in the UK.

No 7.

Clue: From the land of tachos and enchiladas, you may be using a British cousin of this plant in your turkey stuffing.

No 8.

Clue: Another British native that likes waving the ensign and getting its feet wet.

No 9.

Clue: A white form of a usually blue climber that’s full of ardour and devotion.

No 10.

Clue: A stunning climber photographed at an NGS Open Garden, outdoors, last February. It really lives up to its name and is also the featured picture at the top of this year’s quiz.

E. Interactive crossword

And here’s a little crossword you can complete using your keyboard – such are the wonders of life in 2024!

And to conclude:

We have a few gardening gags for you. If you have any complaints, please direct them to Caroline! 🙄

Two slugs are slithering along the pavement. They go round a corner and get stuck behind two snails. “oh no” says one “caravans!”

***

At a marriage guidance session, the instructor asks the husbands to name their wives’ favourite flower.
A husband leans over to his wife and whispers “It’s self-raising, isn’t it?”

***

A woman goes for a job picking citrus fruit. The farmer is surprised at the woman’s CV.
“You seem a bit overqualified” he says “I see you have a PhD! Have you ever picked lemons before?”
“Yes.” She replies. “I’ve had three husbands and I bought a BMW last year.”

***

And finally one that is not about gardening per se, but it does involve digging and is my favourite, coming from the Highlands!

A piper was asked to play at the graveside following an island funeral. Unfortunately the ferry was delayed and he got lost, so he was very late arriving. By the time he got to the village, he spied only three diggers filling in with their spades so he sped across with his pipes, still intent on carrying out the job he’d been asked to do.

He asked the diggers to take off their hats and remain silent while he played a set of three farewell laments.

Completed, he thanked them and hurried back to his car, at which point one of the diggers turned to the others and said ‘Well in 40 years of installing septic tanks, that’s a first!’

***

While you’re busy groaning, may we wish you all a very happy Christmas and New Year. We won’t be publishing next week (28 December), so it will be a The3Growbags-free Saturday, the only one of the year! But we’ll be back on 4 January, and looking forward to another great gardening year with you, the very best companions any gardener could wish for!

Thank you so much for being with us in 2024 ❤️

Here is the link to the Quiz Answers.

And Christmas Greetings from Louise!

Our fantastic columnist Louise Sims will be back on January 4 with a brand new Great Plant for January, meanwhile here is a photo of robins in her garden to wish you all well during the festive break!

NB If you’re not already a subscriber and you’d like a bit more gardening chitchat from the3growbags, please type your email address here and we’ll send you a new post every Saturday morning.