This is a big ol’ catch up post since I only got two days “blogged” when I restarted this web site and then I took off six weeks or so from blogging.

I’ve just about finished the major fall clean up in the garden and yard. “Just about” means it could snow or get real bad and I wouldn’t be in a big panic. I’ve got a few garden ornaments to put away and a lot of perennials to trim back. But if I don’t get the perennials trimmed back it won’t be a problem, I’ll just have more clean up to do in the early spring. Inside, I’m starting to see flower buds on the Christmas cactus, so it will probably be blooming by mid-December. None of the orchids look like they are going to do anything for awhile. I hope some of them will be blooming next spring.

I had a mini-crisis in the sun room. My schedule kept me from spending a lot of time tending the indoor plants, so for several weeks, all they got was a good watering every 7 – 10 days. The other day, I took a closer look at a Kaffir Lily sitting on a shelf behind some orchids and found it was just covered with mealy bugs. Gross! I ended up having to throw it out. I’ve checked and rechecked all the plants around it, and so far they are clean, but I’ll need to remain vigilent for a while. I’ve had mealy bug problems on some other plants, especially some African violets. I think they were the actual source of the problem, the carriers that I unwittingly brought in, unleashing this pestilence on the other plants. Needless to say, the African Violets are now also gone, having suffered the same fate as the Kaffir Lily.

The Kaffir Lily was one of three that I have, and the other two are in a different room, so I think they are safe for now. They are the result of dividing the original plant that I got some 7 – 10 years ago.

I got the African violets from Frank’s, so I don’t plan to purchase any more plants from them. It’s a mute point however, since they are going out of business for good.