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.

Our front garden has become more colourful this month with this show of nemesia flowers.

I have pruned the half dozen rose bushes and had some pretty blooms in a vase indoors.

We planted a herb pot on our balcony which is going well. Mint, thyme and coriander were established plants. The rocket seeds in the top section are growing nicely.

In the back garden we have kept it tidy. I planted a few seeds in our veggie patch. The spinach is looking strong, carrots and Romanesco broccoli were sown a few weeks later so have yet to appear.

I cut back a rosemary bush and harvested some rhubarb. There wasn’t enough for a pie or crumble so I chose to make a rhubarb relish, which we will enjoy with cheese and biscuits.

We have a compost bin again and are happy to make productive use of our food waste.

It’s been a relaxed and pleasurable month in our garden 🙂