One last picture...

Stupid Blogger's gone all wiggy on my background, so, for the moment, something generic... 

Purple Queen

Maybe not the most exotic plant in the garden, but tough as nails and sometimes very pretty.

Rain lily

From Quick shots around the garden mid-october 2011

Flowering cactus

Usually I only get one bloom at a time, but this morning there were four... I love this cactus. I find that keeping them very pot-bound and feeding the lightly but regularly does the trick... I started this one maybe two years ago (maybe one) from a single piece of cactus from my friend, Mary.

Winter planting...

A quick note: I harvested a small patch of sweet potatoes (disappointing yield), then ripped everything else out of my large garden bed. Raked it all very deep. Carted in three or four loads of compost mix, spread it on top, and planted seeds: Rainbow Hybrid Carrots (Johnnys, pelleted); parsnips (Javelin), broccoli, cauliflower (Snow Crown), and chard. Transplanted seedlings into my front bed: cabbage (Gonzalez), broc (Blue Wind), and some other cruciferous. 

It's beautiful out. More like mid-May than the first week of October. (In Florida, that means "much cooler and the relative humidity is bearable.) Lots of yard and garden cleanup, too. I'm sweaty, smelly, and ready for a beer...