I don't believe it... You sound like me. I complain to my wife that the yard/garden is too much work, and then I decide to add some new plants . It's a love-hate relationship. I bet if you won the lottery and hired away Stephen's gardener, you'd miss getting hands on , and end up giving the gardener a severance package and paid health insurance.
I went too Lowes today too get some Led lights for my florescent light fixtures and stopped in their greenhouse. They had just marked down all of the Cattleya Orchids, They had been 13.98 and they marked them down too 3.50 said they were getting a large shipment of plants in. I bought 7 and I called my cousin. She owns two homes in naples Florida. Her husband went over and bought all the rest which was 30.lol They are going too take them too florida they already have some down there. I watered them really good because they were pretty dry. I also misted them really heavy with Bushmaster's Flowers Kiss, I was told too get this and mist my african violets ever so often. That was before I lost all of my violets.
I have been trying too get a pic of this all winter but always too much glare. So today I moved it just for the pic and I guess the background is too busy. Oh well at least it has made it too February. Keep your fingers crossed
I did something today that I have not done in probably 20 years, I brought a huge pot of Dragon wing begonia in the house this fall. most of the leaves are gone but I noticed a few trays of those expanding peat pots in the barn and brought them in the house. I watered them and when they were swollen up too the right size I took cuttings off of my Begonia, 26 too be exact. I sure hope this works. I put their greenhouse lids on them and put them under the lights. That will sure add some color this spring if they root.
This is how bad the plants look. The Portie has lost all its leaves. and I can see at least 4 empty pots. I dont know if the plants went dormant or rotted. I cant even get excited about spring for some reason.