Cool Nights

Last night the temperature here got down below 50 degrees for the first time this fall.  I'd seen the forecast a couple of days ahead, so I knew I'd need to take some action to protect my most tender house plants that have been summering outside.  I have quite a few plants that move outside for the summer, and in for the winter.  They tend to flourish with all the extra sunlight they get, so I am reluctant to bring them back inside any sooner than needed.  Some of them, such as the lemon tree, coleus and geraniums, I particularly try to protect from cold.



So yesterday afternoon, I brought out the little pop-up greenhouse I used last winter, and with my mother's help, got it set up on the patio again.  It's just a single layer of plastic, but it does help moderate the temperature, so I moved those most fragile plants inside it.  I can unzip the doors during the day to allow air through, and keep them from overheating, then close it up for the night.

In a few weeks, I'll need to prepare to move those plants inside for the winter, but not yet!

UPDATE  (9/26):  This morning when I went outside, I heard something hit against the plastic wall of the greenhouse, then a bunny zipped out the door past me and bounced across the lawn.   It had been a mild night, and I hadn't zipped the door shut.  Evidently, bunny took this as a neighborly gesture, and ventured in to sample the goodies inside.