In the Winter Garden

I want to take you for a wander through my Winter Garden.

It is a garden of small patches; nooks and crannies;

odd spots and plants in pots.

I am amazed because I haven't gardened in winter before.

I usually hide indoors.

But there are bits and pieces that have survived,

there have been things to be tended,

and there are things that keep on keeping on.

This is the rosemary bush which is really a small tree.

It is blooming profusely and somewhere in there are bees

busy doing what bees do.

But just as there are plants in bloom,

there are others that are dormant.

The fruit trees have been pruned and

now the prunings have to be managed and disposed of.

In Melbourne, we get our rain in winter.

And we have been getting plenty.

The last week however has been like spring - and it's July! The Broad Beans are growing so they are now much higher than in this photo.

The curly parsley was planted last summer and just keeps on.

And this silver beet is huge and spectacular and quite an ornament -

so I haven't touched a leaf!

There are others though which I have used -

and fresh leaves keep coming.

The flat-leaved Italian parsley is branching and spreading.

And the lemons are productive -

and the possums have a taste and leave a half-eaten lemon on the tree

This is the golden marjoram - a relative of the oregano

which I have growing everywhere.

This one below is in a pot but rooted into the ground

right near this lot of garlic

The capsicums of summer struggle

near the wild violets

And this sweet little sugar loaf cabbage is setting a heart

This beetroot is the only survivor planted in summer in a spot that was too shady.

Rocket regrowth.

What we didn't eat or give away was left to bolt and self-seed.

Now we have a winter crop of young greens.

The sage always looks sad in winter but survives. These plants are three seasons old and will come back beautifully.

Lemon balm in a barrow

The Lemon Thyme braves the winter elements (above)

while the common Thyme (below) is undercover.

And FootFoot eyes off the nasturtiums.

Almost no flowers but the leaves are the size of saucers.

So with all this, more seeds have been ordered

as The Trad Pad prepares for Spring.