Beat the Clock

Two down, nine to go. With tonight's low temperature predicted to be in the 30s, it's high time to bring the houseplants inside from where they have been summering on the front porch. Summering neglectfully, that is. All the plants need their containers to be amended with fresh, nutrient rich soil. Which, admittedly, they have needed for quite some time. Plus, the overgrown Christmas cacti need special attention. I've split two cacti into these five pots and have two more even larger ones to split (and, consequently, not enough pots, errrgh). The quick, easy solution to the plunging temperatures (yesterday's high was 90!) simply would be to bring the plants inside, as is. But, how out of character would that be? Nope. I must repot all of them and clean them up before bringing them in. Wish me luck.

Before I tackle the enormous philodendron, that must be untangled from it's rotting, 3 foot high tripod (picture Medusa's "hair" the size of Marge Simpson's beehive) and transfer it instead to a new pot with a tomato cage for support, a little amusement. This photo doesn't do it justice, but every time I walk by this leaf on the path to the porch where I am working, it looks like a hedgehog. The resemblance is striking enough it caused me to step back quickly the first time I saw it. Granted, in my head I'm comparing it to a hedgehog like this or this, not an actual hedgehog.