After the rain knocked all the colorful leaves off the trees about 10 days ago, we've gone into Indian Summer mode. Yesterday, Sunday, was dry, sunny, and warm with temperatures up to 72°F (ca. 22°C) in the afternoon. The weather people are predicting a mild winter in the Midwest this year, thanks to the El Niño that is stirring the Pacific Ocean. Maybe my greenhouse heating bills will not be as bad as last year! The only flower still blooming outdoors is the little clump of Crocus cartwrigthianus, which just keeps on going and going! Inside the greenhouses, a coupe Fall blooming Clivia are flowering and the Lachenalia are starting to bloom. L. pusilla is already going to seed, L. rubidus is blooming and L. viridiflora is almost in bloom. Jim Shields in Westfield, Indiana USA ************************************************* Jim Shields USDA Zone 5 Shields Gardens, Ltd. P.O. Box 92 WWW: http://www.shieldsgardens.com/ Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA Tel. ++1-317-867-3344 or toll-free 1-866-449-3344 in USA