The entire Seattle area is still complaining about the terrible winter, & the weatherman confirmed it by declaring it the worst winter in fifty years. Unlike the rest of the country we weren't snowed in or rained out, although we did get more than our share of rain. It was just plain bone-chilling cold. In cold weather my garden usually loses some of my favorites & gains more weeds, so my pale attempt to grow lavender in front of the garden house has proved futile. Most of it has died. It will give me a chance to try out a new species I've seen in several gardens.
My roses have suffered too, although a few bushes seem to have thrived on the cold. The new growth at this time of year always draws the neighborhood deer. They love the tender new rose growth, but I've learned that underplanting the bushes with garlic will generally keep them away. We have two pair of young deer who make the rounds at least once a day & one of the four is so pale as to be almost white. I'm hoping to get a photo of her sometime. We did have an albino deer on the other side of the island. The newspaper would print a yearly photo of it in someone's garden, but then it was killed by a car. Deer don't last many years around here.
Here it is the end of June & I think we've had a total of half a dozen really nice sunny & warm days when we could be outside. Both my husband & I were quite ill this winter so the weather didn't contribute anything to our sense of well-being. We were desperately longing for a wonderfully warm spring after the horrible winter. But our house is still in tact so we are grateful we weren't wiped out like so many were.
Photos
Top: This winter killed the lavender
Bottom: The lavender in a better year
