January Garden Photos

I thought I'd share a few photos of my January Garden.

 

Our Jasmine Star Christmas Tree. It flowers in abundance at Christmas time, gives a lovely smell and we don't have to throw it out at the end of December!

 My olive oil tin planters. Perfect for growing succulents. Just drill a few holes in the bottom for drainage if you want to do the same.

 Out the front. The neighbourhood cats kept coming into the front garden. Mum suggested planting Rosemary as a way of deterring them as the smell could be too strong for them. Rosemary is a natural insect repellent and it seems to work on cats too! I've also planted some of the native grass I bought back from Mum's garden on the Atherton Tablelands.

 Succulents are one of my favourite things to grow in pots.

 Another plant from Mum's garden. It survived the 1800km drive!

 More from Mum's garden.

 This funny little spot under the stairs has always been an ugly patch of dirt. The only thing I have managed to grow here is Mondo Grass partly because of the poor growing conditions, but mainly because of the dogs laying and digging in there. Now Sunny can lay in the cool grass and it survives!

 Native violet or Viola hederacea. One of the plants we got from the Free Native Plant Program run by the Brisbane City Council.

 My Passion Fruit vine is finally producing fruit! It was here when we first moved in but never really did much. I have been giving it some TLC over the last couple of years and now the fruit is divine!

Lemongrass. YUM! A must have in every garden. It's so easy to grow and it's zesty lemon flavour is beautiful in Thai cooking. It is also said to have a number of health benefits, especially when used in combination with other Thai spices such as garlic, fresh chillies, and coriander! Again, YUM!

Herb Robert or Geranium robertianum. It's a medicinal herb but I'm still not sure how to use it! Apparently it is as a remedy for toothaches and nosebleeds, I've also read it act as an insect repellent and there are even stories about it helping people beat Cancer.

 I saved this Marjoram plant from the markets... hopefully it will start looking a bit healthier soon! Some people say Marjoram can ward of bad luck so they put it in their homes and businesses. It is very similar to Oregano and can be used in many savoury dishes.

 A photo of Zone One of my permaculture garden. Hopefully by February this will be out of control with Basil, Parsley, Lettuce, Spinach, Coriander and what ever else I planted in there!

 I'm experimenting with propagating Basil from cuttings. Seems to be working so far... will let you know!

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My ginger is growing! The rhizomes came all the way from Cairns, from my Aunty Arja's garden. Apart from being delicious, Ginger can help with nausea and research at the University of Sydney has found it may also reduce pain and inflammation.

As you can see a lot of my plants have been given to me from other gardeners as cuttings, bulbs or rhizomes. This is fantastic as it cuts down on cost for me, but it also tells a little story in my garden and I think of my Mum and Aunty (and sometimes the neighbours - hehe!) every time I see their plants.

I once read, when you become a gardener you become a thief! I like to think of it as sharing...