Freeze that is. Only the One who controls it all knows for sure.
Thus decisions must be made. Many of the tender house plants have been brought indoors already. Most of the heirlooms, many of the prettier geraniums, especially Grandma Peggy's old doubles and the ones I've grown from seed over the years. The big jade has been sacrificed, beheaded, uprooted, all in and all done. I was sick of it tipping over its pot and taking up half the living room. I can get a new one going in case I feel like I need a plant with fifty pounds of greenery.
Maybe we skate by at 33 as we already have a couple of times. Hard to say, but there is a frost advisory for tonight, then a stretch of nicer weather to come. Guess I will be hauling plants in and covering the big tomato and the sprawling little purple ones, and whatever else can't come indoors.
I sure hope we don't lose the Heavenly Blue morning glories. No way to protect them and there were EIGHTEEN blossoms yesterday. 18! So pretty.
By way of our little almanac, I spotted the first two winter sparrow species yesterday. In the morning a White-throated Sparrow was hanging out with a bunch of Song Sparrows over behind the barn. Late in the afternoon, a White-crowned Sparrow bopped into the bushes with another little flock of same right in front of the house.
Seems as if Song Sparrows form nuclei, around which less common sparrows gather. All through late summer a single Field Sparrow hung around with the same little SOSP flock behind the barn. Before they left, the very loud chirping Indigo Buntings seemed to serve in same manner, particularly attracting migrating warblers to the good eating spots.
It is quite a thing to be outdoors these days, what with the colors changing, fall flowers blooming, insects racing to be ready for the silence, and the magical flux of passing migratory birds. I love it.
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6 comments:
Such an inviting porch, I'd have a hard time leaving it
I LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! Your porch!
That picture . . . the way the morning glory twines through the wonderful formality of that column . .. . it has to be one of my favorite morning glory pictures - ever. Oh I hope it's still its heavenly self in the morning.
Jan, I hate to shut the door that leads to it up when winter comes. It is already getting too cold to spend much time out there.
Linda, thanks! Me too.
Cathy, I love that porch! And I am so delighted that the morning glories will grow so nicely in baskets. All those blossoms are from just one plant! I figure I'll do four across there next summer and really have a curtain of them. My only regret is that they bloom so late in the year, flirting with first frost every single time.
This time of year, the Morning Glories become Afternoon Glories! Gosh, but yours are beautiful! I had to laugh at your account of your Jade Plant expiring. I, too, had one that had become more of a chore than a pleasure, until one year I "accidentally" neglected to bring it in before a killing frost, and then shed no tears over its demise.
Jacqueline, thanks, and you are right, they do tend to open quite late. I love Jades, but this stupid thing grew all in one direction and was gigantic. I finally had enough. I put a pretty little plant in its place and am thoroughly enjoying it. lol
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