Yes, getting excited about my trip down thataway, about a month and a half hence, have been spying the weather. You guys are getting doused. Michael, interesting bit about beautyberries. I now know this plant well but to be perfectly honest, never noticed it until seeing it hanging with that amazing purple fruit in and around the Fort Myers area some years ago. Now of course, I've learned that the closely-related Asian cultivars of that plant are likely hardy all the way up into this state, but I first became aware of it down there.

As to mulch holding moisture, I know this might seem counterintuitive, but at least some evidence seems to show greater soil aerification under mulch than a neighboring plot of unmulched soil, the reasoning being that the overall contribution of organic matter provided by the mulch layer tends to have greater air channels and tiny little pockets of aerification than a straight soil would. I know I'm not sure about this myself. I do recall the city forester for a neighboring well-known Wisconsin city-you may have heard of the pro football team-years ago having his crews rake mulch away during an extremely wet year. I had loads of respect for this now-retired individual but I remember even then wondering if this was the right course of action. Unfortunately for you, me, and any other readers, I don't think the jury is out on that point yet.

+oM

Yes we had a mild winter until sometime in Jan. last year. Looks like maybe a repeat. As for Beauty berry, all the years I lived in Tampa I never saw any, but when we moved here to Brooksville, I learned we have it growing wild all over our property. I know that when we were in WV for a visit one year they had it growing there, never had a clue it grew here, too. Also the leaves of the Sweetgum trees are late turning this year and also the Goldenrod and Golden Aster and Walter's purple astors are late blooming, too. The too-wet summer also affected the blooming of the native terrestrial orchids we have on this property again this year, only one reared it's head enough to send up a blooming spike, the rest reared their heads enough to look around and say "no, not this year!".

Tom, I have one bed of Tropicals that I have to protect during the winter. Nothing drastic like how I have seen some Midwesterners do to protect palms in their winters, but tender enough that if I do not drape blankets/comforters/tarps over the area, I would probably lose some of the plants. Last year I put a thick layer of pine bark mulch in the area to trap ground heat or at least mitigate the temperature fluctuations in the soil. This year I had planned on covering the entire area and possibly the neighboring shrub bed with the compost that has been cooking over the last month or so. It is still hot and if I spread it around the bed, it should continue to break down, though more slowly, and keep the ground heated. But with it looking like it is going to be another wet winter, I just don't know if compost is the way to go. If the compost stays too moist, it will break down even slower and so won't be as much of a benefit.

Yeah, good points. I think this might be one where your particular FL gardening knowledge and techniques trump more general knowledge. I really have no idea what you're up against. I suppose in hindsight, raised beds? Maybe you're doing that already.

+oM

I'm in Sarasota and we did not have a lot of rain in the past month. Very dry.

My Beautyberries are finished. It is cool tonight, first night since last year. Feels so good and should get my orchids to spike.

This was a very hot year. I can't remember November being so hot in the past.

I am loving the cool down and I hope it lasts.

Jane

Jane

I've been in the same boat in eastern Palm Beach county. . 34 days with above normal temps and finished Oct, 11 inches below normal for rainfall . while there were floods all around me . Did have a good rain yesterday but only about an inch and the night temps have dropped but seems to be only temporary Have been reading that Dec is supposed to be below normal

i feel that someday ,maybe in my lifetime ,there will be a period of "normal " weather?? lol There I go dreaming again gary

Very erratic then depending on exact location. That's almost harder to deal with than just straight-ahead drought or too wet. Sorry to hear that. It must be tough to deal with so significant a rainfall deficit where it gets so dad-blamed hot all the time.

+om

We appear to be in a much different weather cycle than the past 20 years. The cold winters (40s and 50s for zone 10) have warmed and become much wetter. From what I've read, El Nino is the driving force and will be for at least a decade.

What does this mean for gardeners in zones 9 and 10? Less irrigation and fertilizer - rainwater is loaded with nitrogen and a far better source than city water with its added chlorine. Longer growing seasons, particularly for those of us who grow tropicals. Increased pests - those short but cold days did kill off many of our bugs, without them the bugs will thrive.

In answer to your last question - mulch - none of this affects the amount of mulch you should have on the ground. If you're putting down less than 2", don't waste your money. Keep the mulch thick and you'll hold in the moisture, at least that amount of rain that doesn't immediately sink into our "soil". You'll also retard weed growth from below and make it easier to spot unwanted plants that are sown by the birds and breeze.

Thanks Fawn. I will give the compost another turn and then spread it over my tropical bed. I tend to keep my mulch between 3-4", but decomposition and settling has reduced it to about 2" currently. After I spread the compost, I may top it off with pine straw to deny light and encourage worms to pull the compost down into the soil.