Winter's approach

No longer frost warnings, the freeze warnings are coming on the local weather forecasts. Seems too soon but everything has been pulled into the shed despite my current state of denial.

The local big box store had these hostas on sale for two bucks so I bought a few. On the right side of the photo is one of the plants as purchased and on the left is another plant that I divided into two pots to double my bounty for spring planting.

 Each  fall for the past three years, I've taken cuttings from our trailing petunias and potted them. They root easily in potting soil, without growth hormones. A few died so the empty planting cells were re-planted with fresh cuttings. They grow like crazy and will bloom in the shed this winter.

 The succulent in the clay pot made a dozen babies, or pups, as they are called by growers. When bringing them in for the winter, each pup was carefully pulled away from the parent plant and potted. They will probably be given away.

The plant on the far right is a begonia I'm growing from cuttings.

 Purple Heart, Tradescantia pallida, is native to LA and FL in the US. It is a zone 10 plant that is often grown as a houseplant. I like to put it in the front of a flower bed especially because it thrives in sun and doesn't faint if we are not watering that week.
MOBOT says it is native to Mexico and can be grown in part shade. I removed it from the front bed and even though it returns every year (we are in zone 7), I am growing plants from cuttings for next summer - by which time I'll know where to put it.

Thank heaven for Daddy Long Legs! They eat aphids, caterpillars, beetles, flies, mites, small slugs, snails, earthworms, spiders and their fellow harvestmen.

They are welcome in the shed as long as they want to stay.