They’re really good at this.

In contrast, our back garden, which is our responsibility, was inherited from the previous tenants.  It had become quite overgrown, and we came home to find our talented friend down the street had cleaned and pruned and dug up and trimmed and…wow, it looks SO much better.

We might even go out and get some new succulents to accompany the palms and cycads.  They’ll need a lot less water than the leggy white roses that were there in a tangled overwhelming jungle of canes with a few lone blossoms peeking out.  I’ll miss the roses a bit…but they aren’t suited to be mixed with the other plants that need less water and less light.

And my indoor orchids survived their three weeks with a good watering the day before we left, and pans of water sitting around under their feet.  It had all evaporated or been drunk by thirsty roots by the time we returned, but all the green leaves were still there.  Do you think if I gave them orchid food they might bloom again?!