The spring dead count

I cleaned out my garden last night and took count of the dead: two lavender, one thyme, one sage, one especially nice pink dianthus, a bog cranberry bush, most of a bed of strawberries, and several yarrow. It's been a rough winter.

I know it is sad to lose plants, but I always consider that I get to plant
more new "friends"....

I love trying new plants but really can't afford to buy them this year. I'll be dividing my perennials and mooching plants off friends.

my other two have growth on em....

everything else looks ok so far - hardier I guess.

It is a really great gardening site,
one of the things that they have are buddy lists,
you put in your zip code and you can find other gardeners
to trade your plants with. I have gotten bulbs and seeds
from people around here. they also have plant swaps
where you can take a plant and swap, I haven't been myself
but I read that lots of people go and take extras to give away.
A great way to increase your inventory and no cost.

I'll check it out.

...and either the plumbago is VERY late breaking dormancy, or I've lost them, too. Two of the mahonia I planted last year are struggling a bit but I think they'll make it. Our big challenge here is dessicating winds in an early, cold Spring.

I never expected the herbs to make it since most of them are more or less annuals here anyway. But one clump of chives struggled through. And the mint, of course (glad I planted it in a container!) New parsley, thyme and rosemary are already in and I am hoping to put in dill this week and maybe some lemon verbena. Basil will have to wait a couple more weeks.

I was also astonished to find that the recumbent clematis I thought was a lost cause has come up strongly, and the scraggly blue lobelia has formed a robust carpet in front of my daffodil clumps.

Gardens are amazing. I am just filled with delight, all the time, at how plants do the many wonderful things they do.

happily,
Bright

When it snows and the snow slides off as an avalanche and lands on the lavender plants, this is bad. Also I learned if you plant rosemary too far inside the drip line they don't get enough water and die. On the other hand, they were planted too close together and now I have new ones spaced better.

two sage, lemon thyme, lemon balm, tarragon, catmint.

Unexpected survivors: russian sage (especially since I yanked it for the first time four years ago) and oregano (in zone 5-6, doesn't usually make it year to year for me).