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Gormless or What!

(82 Posts)
midgey Mon 14-Nov-22 16:22:40

I advertised my pampas grass ‘feathers’(?) on Trashnothing, I had a very odd reply!
Some grans may remember that if you planted pampas in your front garden in the seventies ‘interesting’ parties could be advertised.
My daughter is horrified, but luckily nobody knows where I live 😅.

Totallylost Thu 17-Nov-22 14:40:06

On board cruise ships , it’s a pineapple 🍍 magnet on the door, late Husband and I cruised for years, never new about it until recently, I had to Google it to find its true 🤦🏼‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Blossoming Thu 17-Nov-22 10:54:30

Actually, there is a large pampas grass growing in a flower bed at the entrance to the council-owned small car park near the bridge. I’m now wondering what it means. We have always thought the car park was for visitors using the nearby footpath and cycle way, but there are sometimes groups of cars in there at night. Dogging parties perhaps grin?

flowerofthewestx2 Thu 17-Nov-22 10:14:25

....and rubber ducks in a bucket if caravanning...apparently

TillyWhiz Thu 17-Nov-22 07:53:59

Oh yes, got rid of the plant in mine when I moved in! On a ferry to Guernsey husband and I were in fits at the pampas grass in each waterside garden as we headed for the port! It's still a joke here amongst older gardeners.

Riggie Thu 17-Nov-22 00:26:56

There was pampas grass when we moved here - luckily it was in the back garden. Horrible stuff -it almost killed dh to dig it out.

Had no idea what it meant but from the mail we received for the previous owner from very dodgy looking "dating" agencies (it was pre internet) I wouldn't have been surprised to be told she was a swinger!!

Boing Wed 16-Nov-22 23:58:06

I bought my first house in 1985 as a 21 year old with my other half. I'd never seen or heard of pampas grass but when I did see it I wanted some - I bought 2, one for the front & one for the back. Today is the first time I've heard of it representing swingers grin, 38 years later.

Nantotwo Wed 16-Nov-22 22:01:35

My sister who lived in the States years ago had a pampas in the front garden of her rental but wasn't allowed to get rid of it. A tornado passed through the neighbourhood causing minor damage and she was delighted that it had twisted the pampas into a tight pole which couldn't be rescued, so the landlord took it out......and replaced it a while later with another pampas.

Nannan2 Wed 16-Nov-22 21:07:24

Never heard any of these.😄Are they all made up?😂

mrsgreenfingers56 Wed 16-Nov-22 19:35:08

Well I never knew this but made me laugh as my mother has a huge one, the pink one which is stunning. The pink ones are so pretty, the bungalow was built around 1986. My sister has one in her front garden and house built around 1970, can't wait to tell her!

DutchDoll Wed 16-Nov-22 19:27:20

I knew about OMO & turned upside down OWO (old woman out).
I also knew about pampas grass. We inherited a clump in the back garden. We got rid of it because the leaves are like razors and our daughter was starting to toddle so we wanted to protect her hands etc.

Hazeld Wed 16-Nov-22 17:52:35

I remember the OMO one, didn't know about the pampas grass though

catwoman Wed 16-Nov-22 17:49:54

As an ex navy wife. OMO packet on the kitchen windowsill stood for 'On My Own!' I did nt know about the pampas grass. Maybe not in one place long enough to grow them.

SachaMac Wed 16-Nov-22 16:40:35

I knew about the pampas but not flamingos! I always thought it was two pampas grasses in the garden that indicated swingers live there. In the 70’s my grandma & grandad had a pampas in the garden and we inherited one in the back garden of a house in the early 80’s but as there was only one and it was at the back I wasn’t worried. We did eventually get rid of it and I remember my husband being scratched to shreds by the long grassy leaves.

The young couple across the road have a big vase of dried pampas grass in their front window, I guess they aren’t aware of its significance.

Sleepygran Wed 16-Nov-22 16:34:30

Well I never!
What a sheltered life I’ve led.
I used to do home visits in the 79s and 80s and would often remark and admire the large pampas grasses in peoples front gardens, no one ever told me what they meant!

Missingmoominmama Wed 16-Nov-22 16:29:53

Apparently, the new sign is a pineapple!

springishere Wed 16-Nov-22 16:27:25

I learn something every day on this blog. Not sure what pampas grass looks like.

Nicksmrs46 Wed 16-Nov-22 16:22:21

Oh goodness, I just told Mr Nick about the meaning of pampas in the garden , he laughed until I said it’s true ! We had a lovely one he planted when we moved into our house in 1978, it was greatly admired over the years and a neighbour even had an offshoot of it ….. I think we were all naive 😅😅

sunglow12 Wed 16-Nov-22 16:13:40

My mother reckoned that’s how an aunt lost her husband to a friend in the 70’s - through key swapping parties - but that may be an exaggeration- I’d never heard of them till she told me that years later and also never heard of the pampas grass thing . I will never look at it in the same way again !

dolphindaisy Wed 16-Nov-22 14:32:14

I'd heard about pampas grass in the front garden and what it was supposed to mean so I'm always amused on the rare occasions I visit my grandparents grave in an old cemetary, one of the near by graves has a huge clump of pampas grass growing right in the middle of it - does it say something about the occupants?

rowyn Wed 16-Nov-22 13:48:21

Obviously I've led a very sheltered life. We moved into our house in the 70s and , with a large garden, planted some Pampas grass, which flourished . Fortunately it was in the back garden!

Tiggersuki Wed 16-Nov-22 13:24:22

You live and learn.
My front garden pampas in the seventies just meant we liked the dramatic plumes.
Currently front garden has some grasses(not pampas),fuchsias,maples, a small magnolia, a few hebe and some stainless steel sculptures.

Yammy Wed 16-Nov-22 13:23:31

We inherited a huge pampas grass in our back garden I never knew its significance.
This has reminded me that the neighbour next door made quite a few passes at DH including sitting on the floor at a party and flashing her I'll be polite knickers at him. At one time she did have two lovers we all knew.
We were once invited to a party where couples were disappearing upstairs to see the new paintings!!!! The viewing seemed to take quite a long time and we got out quickly.

Vintagenonna Wed 16-Nov-22 12:35:12

A friend of mine was driving home one dark night when her car began to play up. She pulled into a large layby to make a call to ask her partner to drive out and follow her back. There were a lot of cars dotted around this pretty secluded layby . . . some with lights on . . . and one or two men moving between them . . . you can work the rest out. Some kind soul tapped on her window and suggested she might want to drive on.

FannyCornforth Wed 16-Nov-22 12:28:42

I’ve seen quite a few of those around here Esspee
I can’t say that I understand the rationale of advertising the fact that you and the other half are swingers.
Are they expecting people to knock on their front door and ‘enquire within’?
It’s a very dangerous strategy.

I’ve been approached twice by members of the swinging community.
(One time by the brother of a very famous TV personality and his wife)

Esspee Wed 16-Nov-22 12:22:51

The last I heard those woven heart decorations hanging on the front door or the front window replaced the pampas grass.