WHERE IS SPRING?

It is like a roller coaster around here. We get two days of shorts and 70-degree weather and I am madly digging in the garden. The very next day the temperature drops to a high of 45 degrees and a low of 18 degrees. The wind howls and there is no end in sight for the next five days. This really is a little unusual for Siskiyou County. My daughter called from Seattle and said it snowed and not only did it snow but the snow stayed on the ground. So, I guess it is unusual everywhere.

The stall in the planting season has made me think and plan a little more on what I want to grow in my garden. When we first had a touch of warm weather, I rushed out to the nursery and bought Pansies, English Daisies and Ranuculous. I planted them in my pots on the patio and for approximately six hours I had lovely bright spring colors. Well, maybe it was longer than that. But you see, I was asleep when all the color disappeared.

When I woke up in the morning the sun was shining and I could hardly wait to see the touch of spring I had planted. I should not have been surprised but I didn’t have a plant left anywhere. The deer had a snack during the night and I was left with mowed down plants.

Now, I knew that might happen. I even have a spray called Deer Off that has a nasty taste. Did I apply it? Of course not. So, now that the weather is cold and dreary, I am rethinking my choice of plants. I need to do more research on deer resistant plants if there is such a thing.

But, you know it is a trade off. If I lived in a large city I probably would be able to plant anything and not worry. But I chose to live in a rural environment, which is actually a deer habitat. I am intruding on their territory so I need to quit complaining.