Maybe dire winds of fascism bring my Inner Propagatrix out from dormancy.  Hmm.  At any rate, I spent yesterday prepping the rest of the sites and sowing the remainder of the partially-stratified native seeds in their respective places in the yard.  I used red cardinal flower, mist flower, widow’s cross sedum, and passion flower.  (Also prairie smoke, previously planted.)  And now we wait, perhaps years, perhaps as soon as spring, for signs of life and hope (to beat the crap out of my poor metaphor).

Once that was done, I dug up all the elephant ears, cut off the frost-floppy leaves, and placed the corms or tubers in the warm prop station to dry for a week or two, then store them in peat moss in a cool place over winter (similar to the sweet potatoes curing process).  I saved and potted one of the plants and brought it home to keep the bird of paradise company (in my mini-climatron).

Now all I have to do is wait until the veg garden (still going strong) freezes for good, then start prepping the soil for next year with organic material (leaf mulch, compost, etc.)  Similarly, I hope to prep and use additional beds in the yard for the larger veggies next year.  Other beds are slated for various kids’ flower gardens.  I already have all the seeds for all the above.

Yes, it’s my evil plan to take over the outdoor world of Avdi and persuade it into submitting to his and the kids’ [my] bidding [mandate]!  We’ll see how nature feels about that.

This metaphor has run its course, so here are some exhibits.