I had so many plans for this winter, but it got cold and then it rained and then I got sick...you know the drill. Now I'm way behind on everything, and even though I know I'll never catch up, it don't really care.

I have figs on my Settler's Fig and maybe one on the black fig, but once it starts producing, it goes mad! My elderberry did not get cut back as I planned, and is absolutely gorgeous! Sadly, I will be cutting it back before it starts dropping berries on the sidewalk and all over my courtyard.

Gingers are just starting to poke their heads up here in Z9a. I always get excited when the peacock gingers start coming up. They make such a lovely carpet under the elderberry with their cute little lavender flowers. Can't believe I started out a few years ago with only a few of them. I've given away so many over the years. They are truly prolific!

My new project is to make a bromeliad bed in front of the apartment against the privacy fence. I didn't bring many broms with me to Gainesville, because I didn't think they would live, but evidently, there are quite a few that do well here. A friend gave me a lot of pups of hers, plus some mama plants that are now putting out babies. I have my beloved Aechmea blanchettiana again! So excited and can't wait until it blooms one day!

I bought a tiny baby Ping Tung eggplant yesterday, which I thought was $2.50 and ended up being $3.99. Oh well, at least I got one. Have been wanting one, but didn't want to buy a whole pack of seeds when I only grow one eggplant a year.

Well, I'm going to go out and pot up my baby Everglades tomato seedlings I got yesterday from a friend. Mine finally just died and I had not saved any seeds, but of course, I found someone who had some and was willing to share.

I don't know what I would do without generous friends. My garden would suffer without them, for sure!