People are complaining that it was a bad winter. I missed part of it while in Asia but it did feel like the poorest winter I've ever experienced in Greater Victoria. I noticed flowering weeds before I noticed daffs & crocuses when I arrived in Victoria a few days ago. There's obviously a delay in spring growth this March.

Euphorbias (regular green & Tasmanian Tiger) have done well this bad winter. Many cordylines in the region will need to restart from the ground. Winter heathers seem bullet proof since they flowered right after the freeze in Dec. And kept going in poor conditions. It's a shame they can dry up so easy in summer since they are evergreen and only require a single purchase for multi-year use in the low season. I wonder how your garden was affected by this winter.

I noticed camellias, palms & magnolias in Japan & southern Korea that are grown on the BC coast. There are interesting plants and trees that do well in zone 8 but are not introduced to places like Vancouver. A lot of it may stem from the fact that merchants sell things that can be reproduced with speed.

I did cheat old man winter by planting cacti & yuccas sheltered from precip. It also saves water in summer.

As you may know but here goes...

Victoria did get less cold and snow than Vancouver as in previous record winters but Vancouver gets more rain in summer while Victoria gets tired of watering. The edge in Victoria is spring where it starts 2 to 3 weeks earlier. I also like the fact that Arbutus is native to Victoria and can appear in dry gardens. It's a shame that I saw so many cut down but Victoria is growing and cutting its trees. The city seems to be in a internal struggle over growth and influx of homeless people. There's also more garbage in Victoria which will be noticed by tourists. The police seem to struggle with gardeners growing dope. We do abuse our freedoms & resources in the western hemisphere. We will cry once all those giant conifers hit the ground but Victoria will probably always count its flowers.

Cheers