It’s bloody cold here at the moment. Most nights are down to minus 3 or lower. Each morning brings an icy frost, sometimes some fog or mist that burns off once the weak, warm sun arises. The garden is very quiet, most of my pots dead from the heavy frosts that I left them out in (in order to get some rain while we were gone…of which there was none). The chooks are off the lay (who can blame them?) and the only thing to thrive are the weeds and the mint.
The veggie patch needs re-doing, the garden weeded, the scrappy, yellow lawns mowed.
But…there’s life in the branches. Little buds, just waiting to come out. Bulbs popping their heads up. The daphne just about ready to flower. The odd lavender flowering away, some hellebores lifting their heavy petals up. While it’s quiet, there is certainly still a lot going on.
How’s your garden looking?
Anyone had much rain?
How are your chooks in the cold?
Just spoke to my nephew in Geelong and he’s getting 4 eggs a day. My Daphne is really trying. I so hope I get a few blooms this year. I have three going in pots. Safety in numbers. My lilac had a little bloom and is now burnt my the frost. And my six potted frangipanis are looking like they’re ready for a good summer. Bloody cold in Melbourne today too.
I think we are all ready for a good summer don’t you? One of my daphne completely turned its toes up for no reason…I have two other bushes that need to sort themselves out! Stay warm x
My beautiful Daphne did the same thing last year…..how I miss her heavenly scent!
Your garden looks delightful (in spots!) despite your weather. Ours is blooming its bloody head off, but we are in the heat of summer here in Florida. We have no chooks–just a pet cockatiel, but he refuses to lay an egg!
Good luck with that egg!
Hi Beth, I’m a new blogger and love your site. It was the first I subscribed to!! Our garden is full of bright green, and I mean really green weeds, that seem to be prancing in all their glory everywhere you look! As for our vegie patch, well the sage plant is looking not too bad, the rest we won’t even mention!
Hi Loretta! Nice to have you here! I think sage is the ONLY thing enjoying the conditions at the moment…
I love that even in the dead of winter when there seems like there’s no life, there are tiny sprouts of new growth and colour. Bring on Spring!
That’s what I love about gardening…the reminder that life goes on…always.
The chookies need lots of extra protein through winter to keep the eggs up. They use protein for egg production and also to keep themselves warm hence they need a double dose in winter. Scrambled eggs, high protein crumble, pellets or cat food!
Thanks so much for the tips – appreciate it!
Our small garden (we’re in Sydney) needs a lot of TLC… the weeds are taking over, the gardenias and hedges need pruning/hedging and the grass needs a lot of love after the tiler made a hell of a mess on it when doing our bathrooms. Oh the joys!!
Do you know if Daphne grows well in pots? I am soooo tempted to get one for our front entrance in a pot. How amazing would a flowering Daphne be greeting you at your front door? Jx
Jess I think it will grow in a pot if it’s deep enough…you need cooler weather though so make sure it’s in a cool area with lots of water. Good luck!
All very quiet here in the garden also, mainly due to Winter, but also due to me not being out there amongst it! I can not WAIT for some warmer weather so I can take Eleanor out into the garden with me. Bring on Spring days in the sunshine on the lawn! Our camellias are either blooming or about to explode, Manchurian pear tree budding up nicely, lavender doing their thing and chooks living in a mud pit but happily laying still. I really need to get some hellebores too, you’ve reminded me 🙂
Spring will be here soon enough…you have a perfect excuse for staying inside…enjoy xxx
Minus 3? You really need to plant some Peonies. They’ll love your conditions.
Oh I know Carolyn…have been meaning to do it for years now. Thanks for the reminder again 🙂
Our cabbages are doing well, which means lots of coleslaw, and lots of pulled pork to go with it. Besides the cabbages (and some parsley), there isn’t a lot else going on though.
You had me at pulled pork…
Much the same here. Speckles of spring delights in waiting everywhere. Im absolutely devo that my veggie patch lay in ruins and blog unworthy thanks to the chooks, but alas between the 4 of them we are getting 2-3 eggs a day despite the cold weather and frosts. My daphne is about to go nuts right at the front door too. mmmm smellin it!! Glad you had a great holiday too. x
Thanks Elisha!
We are having one of the coldest winters in the eight years we’ve been here in northern NSW. We’ve even had minus temps!! It snowed up on the tablelands over the weekend and I was sure it was in our yard. Frost each morning. We got a thunderstorm this afternoon and it’s the most rain we’ve had in months. We have a combustion fire for the lounge and bedrooms and a old fuel stove in the dining area (that we found behind a wall when we renovated) and they are both going 24/7. Though I’m sure the fuel stove smirked to itself when my husband went to work tonight and decided it was going to give me a hard time hence the reason I’m looking at blogs waiting for it to decide if it wants to get going.
We’re out of wood and waiting for a delivery! Have had to get bags of expensive, small world from the servo which I am SO embarrassed about. Hoping it gets here soon!
I just can’t imagine being cold at the moment. Today I took Darbs out to playgroup (which is in a church that’s way out in the desert)and the car said it was 52 degrees when we left at 11.30am.
It was about 42 or 43 back in the city. Our gardens are only surviving from the constant watering! Ahhh desert life!
Oh my goodness! Stay cool x
Lots of rain here in Perth which is lovely cause we really only get about 3 months of the year where it rains often. And I just love saying ” hellebore”. Not sure why but I do 🙂
It is a very good word! Enjoy that rain…hoping we get some later today. Have a great weekend 🙂