How does your garden grow?

Our Winter gardening continues with the planting of new asparagus crowns and two new rhubarb crowns. Also in are a lemonade tree, an Emperor mandarine and we've transplanted some strawberry plants to create a larger area of these lovely delicacies. We are of the firm opinion that you can never have too many strawberries! So these newbies were planted with love and are settling into their beds for the rest of the Winter, ready to wake up and grow once Spring arrives.

 Bethany watering our newly transplanted strawberry plants

Rosie and I made a study of our edible plants and created together some plant markers for the garden. I loved nurturing Rosie's creativity in this way.

Rosie is drawing her pictures of edible plants for the plant markers we put in the garden

The delightful camomile marker

Rosie in the winter garden

I'm also seeing a wonderful love of animals growing within our girls. They are really becoming more friendly and more comfortable with them as each day passes and its a joy for me to see this development of their identities.

The beautiful Miss Bethany with snowy the guinea pig

Rosie and Poppy, our least adventurous chicken, share a cuddle

This week's harvest includes lemons, oranges, parsley and red hot pokers (see photo) - a wonderful way to warm a Winter garden.

And for me? Well, a new pair of gumboots (yes they actually fit my long feet) are just the thing I needed for getting in with the chickens, digging in new plants and walking around in the wet grass. Now for some more gardening tomorrow before lots of rain arrives. Wish me luck...

My lovely new gumboots for working in the garden

Our Red Hot Pokers (Kniphofia) create a lovely, warm boundary to our garden

Lemons growing well in the front garden