And, after the summer we have had, we still want more! I was picking my squash when it started to rain -- cold!-- yesterday. My everbearing raspberries are bearing, and I'm picking a bucketful of tomatoes a day -- this from 4 plants. Apples are falling from the trees, what do I do with all this treasure? Meanwhile, my brugs are putting on the most amazing displays of flowers, they love these cooler days, and my orchids too are begging to come inside. I need a few weeks of decent weather to get everything put to bed for the winter...

September (or earlier) is the usual optimum time to bring in house plants.

Since the change in temperatures is a trial, many should just be left indoors all the time. No bugs and slugs coming in on them that way either.

If like most years dryness will dominate for another month yet, when the stormiest month of the year - November - arrives and shuts things down right quick.

Good point, bboy, I have been plagued no end with aphids after bringing plants indoors. It seems hardly worth it. What's the best treatment to get rid of hitchhikers, washing with Safer's? Vinegar?

Now is a good time to take rose cuttings, dip in rooting hormone, put in your favorite rooting mix, put under a plastic tent under lights.

I'm busy drying some last minute herbs. My stinging nettles that were mowed have sent up some nice fresh new growth, as have some mints.

Hardwood cuttings of roses taken in October can be inserted in loose soil in the garden, to root there without bothering with pots and tents.

Last year I neglected to bring my Ficus benjamina into the house until December 12, but it's still ok. It's outside again and it sure is happier out there than it was in the house.

Some orchids require cool nights for bud set. I've never had much trouble with bugs coming in with them. Not to mention they're a lot easier to water outside.

Weeping fig is the classic example of the foliage plant that visibly objects to being moved around, dropping leaves sometimes quite heavily in response to changes in light exposure and maybe other factors.

I have been busy getting all of my plants tucked back inside the greenhouse. Weevil larve in my succulents and scale have been my big problem this year. I have bought the large economy size bottles of alcohol and huge bags of cotton balls to battle the scale! Scale on Agaves is the very worst, OUCH! Ian, I have two Leucodenrons from you that were next to each other outside the greenhouse. The one marked Central Market was loaded with scale and the other, Safari Sunset is just fine, no scale (that I can see). Was the Safari Sunset lucky or not as susceptible? I will be repotting the Central Market to a larger container and will see if it survives outside in a protected location well mulched! I really need to curtail my plant buying next year as my greenhouse just isn't getting any bigger and the Agaves are!!! Several things will just have to be planted outside in the spring and be scacrificed to to zonal denial gods! And I so miss those balmy summer evenings in the garden already.

You'd better overwinter that under cover if you don't want to lose it.