Summer in Florida

Living in Florida is wonderful - most of the time. Although the summers are hot, the Fall, Winter, and Spring are absolutely beautiful. We get to turn off the air conditioner, open all of the windows, and our porches bercome an extended room to our homes. I love my home because I have a swimming pool that makes the summers much more bearable. I always look forward to Fall when I can open my doors to the screened patio and, suddenly, the hard work I've done in my garden during the summer months makes it all worthwhile.

I say "hard work" because, in Florida, we have to battle bugs, extreme heat, and, oftentimes, not enough rain, or too much rain and wind from the hurricanes that blow through out State. This summer the cinch bugs discovered my St. Augustine grass and enjoyed a banquet of excess before I could evict them from the premises. Now, I am looking at bare spots in what was once a velvet smooth lawn. Anyone out there who spends time on their lawn knows what a drag this is. The thought of spending time in the stifling heat to prepare the ground for yet another pallet of expensive sod simply turns my stomach. It's backbreaking work and expensive! Believe me, I would much rather spend time with my roses and other plantings. I've decided to wait until the weather cools down to tackle this project.

Today is Sunday so I've decided to take the day off, float in my pool with a good book, enjoy the sunshine, and appreciate all of the beautiful plants around me that the bugs haven't eaten.