BUH-BYE AUTUMN!

Looks like I got my truck-load of mulch spread just in the nick of time. For some reason I always seem to be doing it as a cold front is blowing in, so that the wind is whipping the little wood slivers into my eyes and mouth. Nothing like waiting until the last minute, huh? At least this time I remembered to take my contacts out first! It dropped into the low-to-mid forties last night, and will be in the thirties the next several nights in a row, with highs in the sixties. We've been flipping back and forth for awhile, but I'm thinkin' this is "the one" -- the one that blows the last of our summer-like temps away for good.

Which means, much as it breaks my heart, it's time to take winter seriously. All those gorgeous succulents in my yard, that have just reached their zenith in color and size, are liable to turn to withered brown mush if we have a hard freeze. Every time we have a wither with lots of freezes, like last year, I swear that I will not plant anything in my garden that isn't extremely cold hardy. I really, really hate having to run out to water and cover a bunch of plants when it's bitter cold outside!

But then, come spring, I head out to the nurseries, and there are those beautiful tables full of colorful succulents spread out before me, and, well, once again I succumb! Last year I dug up lots of the pups and wintered them over in our garage utility room, then planted them in the beds in spring. They are still quite small, so I just left them there and covered them with mounds of mulch. The tops will probably wither, but hopefully they will continue to develop their root systems, and have a head start next spring. Those leaves that broke off are hardening off on the porch, and will get stuck into pots today. Some of the medium-sized plants got planted into the container you see above, and will spend the winter in the house. But what to do about the big and beautiful?

Though it killed my soul to do it, I dug up the gorgeous Sticks of Fire (aka Pencil Cactus) that have been doing so well down in the Cantina Garden, and moved them to a pot upstairs, right by the front door. I knew that after a couple of times of having to drag sheets and blankets down there in freezing wind and rain, I'd eventually just say "Screw it!", and stay snuggled up inside where it was warm.

However, if they are right here by the front door, staring me in the face, guilt will get the best of me. I even thought to put a metal stake in the pot, so that when I toss a cover over it, it won't break the fragile stems.

I am so crazy in love with how these concrete urns look, filled with Cow's Tongues and Donkey Ears, I seriously thought about putting them on dollies and moving them in and out of the house or garage all winter long, but the urns are unbelievably heavy, and there are steps to be maneuvered in front of both buildings. So, seeing as how they aren't too far from the front door either, it might be easier just to cover them as well. We'll see how it goes.

It looks like those Donkey Ears are pretty cold sensitive, as they started to discolor after that dip into the low forties last night.

Fortunately, there are lots of pups hidden under and on the tips of the mother plants, so, if nothing else, those should survive the winter if well covered or potted up, and I won't have to start over from scratch next spring.

Here's what I'm thinking though. I'm thinkin' I either gotta get over this crazy succulent obsession, or I need to break down and get me a greenhouse! What do you think?