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Gettin’ All Springy

According to my handy Almanac, the first weekend in February represents the last freeze of the year for central Florida.  All I can say is WOOT, because moving this number of little pots in and out of the house is starting to get tiresome:

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Yep, we’re all about maximizing our space here, and those shelves will be used year-round for seed starting, whether it’s tomatoes, cukes, or bonsai trees.  We’ve also removed the mondo honeysuckle from the center of the back fence:

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Bet you can’t tell where it was…   We’ll be adding five new 2×8 boxes that’ll be home to corn, all manner of climbing beans with melons planted at their feet, and the occasional bonsai that needs a bit of field-growing.  

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Pretty soon there will be little left to mow back there.  (Yay! – Husband)

We did a good bit of frost-protection during these last few hard freezes, but unfortunately most of the tropicals are brown, papery things right now.  I anticipate full recovery, but I have been known to be a raging optimist. 

My Batik iris, while a cold-loving plant, does not so much appreciate the chilly temps when trying to field blooms.  This one never fully opened, and is now in full decline. 

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Still, it can be done!

Other highlights include the Zebrina hollyhocks:

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The alyssum/gazania combo:

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And the wonderfully fractal romanseco:

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And now Husband just reminded me of the visitor we found snoozing under the honeysuckle:

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This is a corn snake, and is very likely the same visitor we had over the summer in our pool drain.

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Corn snakes are amazing climbers, as you can see above, and feast primarily on rodentia and anole lizards.  And they’re utterly gorgeous to boot.

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After his glamour shots we helped him over the fence and on his way. If you have a venomous snake at home though, then it’s best to call a snake removal service.