A Simply Wonderful Day!

Here's a little fall color in my garden!

At long last, a taste of fall has arrived in Central Florida. Temperatures for the past two mornings were in the mid-60’s - HOORAY! While I will temporarily revel in the delightfully refreshing coolness of the morning, I won‘t get too used to it because the humidity will be back by Friday. But nonetheless, it was a most welcome announcement that our “endless summer” is beginning to give way to autumn.

Later that day I was driving down the road with my sunroof open , happy as a lark enjoying the spectacular weather when a funny thing happened. All of a sudden, I found my car automatically turning into the nursery. Oh, “Perhaps a few mums and some fall vegetables - collards, lettuce and broccoli are needed for the garden,” I said to myself. As I was walking out with my cart full of “new stuff,” lo and behold, I discover my neighbor Nancy just arriving. It’s funny how a slight change in weather seems to reenergize us Florida gardeners.

This year I managed to keep up with my garden chores through the hottest months, so I find myself in pretty good shape. However, there’s always something that needs tweaking. Like the roses. They need a slight pruning to get them back in shape and a burst of fertilizer to get them blooming. Then there are the leggy impatiens that are screaming at me to give them a haircut. I just fertilized my poinsettia (which is looking really good) for the last time this year. And, the small bed around the mailbox is in dire need of weeding, reshaping and replanting. That will be my main fall project. But for now, I’m going to just hang around outside and enjoy the weather!