A shift in the pattern

The dog days of summer have ended.

     Overnight we went from monsoons to days without rain and that requires a major shift in my daily pattern.  

     I have to start paying attention to all the orchids and potted plants again.

     Fingers crossed that at least a couple of those papayas I've been babying all summer will ripen.  Note my natural pest control patrol partner prowling the fruit in the above photo.

     It was a big summer for frogs, toads, and lizards in my yard so when I began the big end-of-the-summer cleanup, I couldn't prune anything without disturbing someone's lair.

     This frog had to say goodbye to its plumeria roost because I give up on the plumerias.  They outgrew their patio pots too quickly and when I transplanted them to my yard, they fared poorly without regular watering.  A plant expert friend suggested moving my sun-bleached agapanthus into their spots as they would enjoy a bit of shade.

     I have a big pot on either side of my front door and in the beginning I was diligent about keeping them planted with colorful annuals, anchored by a knockout rose, but a thriving tabebuia tree (free back when my city was on an improvement kick) has thrown one pot into shade and tougher economic times have prevented me from buying more flowers.

Wait a minute!!!

     I have a yard full of possibilities!  

     I cleared the sedum out of the shade pot disturbing this beautiful skink.  Sorry!

     The sedum was happy but always looked weedy.  I replaced it with some of my abundant bromeliads disturbing this unhappy toad in the process...

     Again, sorry everyone!  But now the pots are shaping up.  Bromeliads for the shade pot...

 ...and 2 types of aloe for the sun pot.  They are both strong growers so the pot should fill in shortly.

     And finally, I took the time to wrest the patio back under my control.  I had company on the way and that's always the best excuse to reconstruct my facade of an orderly life.  It looks so nice again and the temp has dipped JUST enough to start a fire in the chiminea.

   And, omg, if I could bottle the patina on these terra cotta rabbits and sell it, well...I'd make a few bucks selling patina.

     A few years ago, some cold winters cleared the vandas out of my tough-love yard but I promised to change my callous ways and bought a new one.  Finally, a bloom; always a harbinger of cooler, dryer weather.

     I'm definitely well-suited for Florida but I'll be enjoying a brief reprieve from the rampant plant growth to catch up with other projects and hobbies.