Spring has been cool and wet, so nothing in the garden is as expected. The lavender, which I thought had been killed by the late winter cold snap, lives! It was the first plant we bought after moving to the island, so I’m really stoked. The monarda (bee balm) behind it is still doing well, as is the poppy beside it. The toad house was not so lucky over winter.

I seeded lots of flowers through this bed in fall so it would be full and lovely now. Instead it is completely dominated by these three lupins, and nothing much else has come up. It’s hard to stay mad at them, the colour is great and the bees love them. In terms of design it’s frustrating, in terms of climate it’s terrifying. I’ll probably move the lupins out after they’ve flowered so the other things have a chance, but other than that, I’m not sure how to prevent an empty bed next year (there were some bulbs that came up early, this is the gap that follows). This time last year it was bursting with flowers, but then the heat dome torched it. Climate resistant gardening is next level!