It’s been a quiet month in the garden. I’m trusting that seeds we’ve planted are germinating and growing underground, waiting to shoot when warmer weather arrives.

A highlight has been these deep pink camellia blooms. The buds were covered in aphids and ants so I was delighted that one spray treatment resulted in such beautiful flowers.

We’ve trimmed our variegated hedge.

We used sprigs pruned from the rosemary bush to make lamb kebabs. They cooked nicely on the barbeque. Yes we are the crazy neighbours who barbeque in the dark on cold winter evenings.

I’ve been buying a gardening magazine and watching back shows of Gardening Australia on tv. I have a lot to learn about gardening in this vast southern land.

As we come to the end of the month there are signs that spring is around the corner with dwarf narcissus appearing. And today, another camellia has bloomed. I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the colour in our winter garden.