so very busy

and glad to be, but man am I tired at the end of the day. So not always finding time to jot down what I did, and now I have a backlog of pictures already. Last night it was supposed to get just below fifty degrees, so I took precautions and mulched a bunch of plants in the yard (remembering how I almost lost a cranesbill to the cold before) and brought a few tender ones inside. Here's stevia next to the citrus geranium- grown all tall from the summer- it does have a bit of dried leaf tips curling, but I can't tell if that's from chill or insects

My lemon geranium had issues earlier. I'd slowly noticed that it was very sparse on foliage- usually there's always a few leaves turning brown that I trim off, but this end of summer it was so thin! I was out on the deck picking off dead leaves and suddenly noticed when the plant moved from my touch, tiny white bugs fell and flitted off. It was teensy pale aphids. I made a quick spray of dishsoap, water and a drop of oil. Sprayed that plant all over- and then for the next few days checked by shaking it gently- no more bugs disturbed. Now it's looking so much better!

I also took cuttings of the coleus to bring inside- not necessary yet as it turned out- none of the plants outside died from cold! but well, I have some now as 'insurance'. I skipped the orange-and-lime one, it's just not sppealing to me anymore. Got the all the others- 

plus two more 'exhibition limelight' not pictured, and this group of 'kiwi fern' I actually clipped several days earlier, because I went outside and found an animal had bitten off the top of my plant! I think it was a rabbit.

While I was at it, took a few cuttings to restart of the witchy one that has always stayed indoors- just for the heck of it-

and because it was sitting nearby and looking particularly nice, here's the waxy begonia (I don't remember its real name). It was doing awful just a few weeks ago- I had forgotten to water some plants often enough- but I trimmed it, took a bunch of cuttings to restart, and watered it every other day for a while. Even gave away a second pot of it. Now doing great!