"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." This month's discussion in the potting shed.

[MyNightWithMaud]

Grateful thanks to the magnificent Margaret Atwood (via A Mighty Girl) for the quote.

I have just come indoors after a delightful couple of hours' pottering in the garden. It's far warmer than yesterday and everything feels optimistic and vernal again, after yesterday's Arctic blast.

High point: Realising that most of last year's cuttings have taken. Given that I am useless with seeds this, I think, is my propagating future.

Low point: Realising that my newest fairy lights have already failed.

I have funny, did my first big pot water of the year. DH is still buying new pots, he has started collecting cast iron ones to put ferns in by our new shed doors. I need to feed the mint collection too. I also did all the box balls and the new whitebeam. It seemed to take ages.

Yep I've done lots of watering today. I need to do more tomorrow.

I had some guys here today dismantling and emptying the collapsing turrety wall thing at the corner of the orchard, ready for fixing and reassembling. An old man who was passing said he used to stand in it and pretend to direct the traffic when he was a kid!

I'm going to plant a Rosa Raubritta in it when it's mended and refilled with new topsoil. It should tumble over the sides nicely.

I have been watering today, as some of my recently planted and transplanted things were clearly suffering in the heat. I came very close to using the hose, but managed to do it all with watering cans.

I have also attempted to sort out my mint collection, which means getting rid of the dead ones (when I tipped them out, some of the pots were entirely empty, evidently rotted away) and dividing the ones that were growing abundantly. Only problem now is that the labels have long since been lost and I don't know which variety is which.

I've been watering for a while.

One of my rhubarbs looks like it's going to throw up a flower spike rather than leafy stalks. I was getting excited about actually picking some this year as well. What do I do if it flowers? I seem to remember someone else's doing this previously. Was it Lexi?

Sorry to hear you're not well funny. I hope you recover soon.

Such lovely pictures from everyone. It was utterly glorious here today and as I was working from home today, I got to eat my lunch in the garden. Bliss.

I introduced MrB to the delights of squishing lily beetles, and he is now a Man with a Mission. We got about 10 of the things. I used Monty's tip of capturing them with a honey-covered finger so they can't flip and blend in, and it worked well, using some not-very-nice marmalade, as honey's too good for 'em.

You have to cut the head of the flowers on rhubarb as early as possible - so basically the minute you know it's not leaves.

I've got about ten rhubarbs dotted about my allotment and the only two that have flowered are the ones that don't have an enormous mulch of manure - meaning ive proved the belief to myself that it's only rhubarbs that lack nutrients that flower

My ones with manure are growing like crazy

Ah yes, I had meant to say that we are into lily beetle season here too. I have squished three of the blighters. I agree that honey is too good for them, so will be looking for some sub-standard preserve to use in Monty's honour.

No lily beetles here but Black Spot in the lower regions of Mme Alfred Carriere! I've been round trying to pick off all the black spotted leaves so that they don't fall and infect the soil below bt think something more drastic maybe needed to avoid the whole plant getting infected. At the moment most of the plant is clear.

It is so exciting to see the peonies and atrantias and liatris coming up out of the ground from nowhere!

I'm sorry that Madame Alfred is afflicted but, yes, it is very exciting to see so much new growth in the garden. My dicentra spectabilis (can't remember its new name beginning with L) has buds on it now.

i just looked up astrantia, and found this - do you think the height estimate is a little off or is this a particularly vigorous variety?

www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/astrantia-major-claret/classid.2596/

Arf at the 6 metre astrantia! I love the dark ones but they always die on me.

I have decided to spend my Hayloft voucher on salvia Amistad, which I admired on last week's GW.

Rhubarb, re the trees in the border, I can't bring myself to rip out 5 mature fruit trees but some of them will be past it very soon, so it's possible I could plan it taking into account that by the time the box is big some of the trees will be gone. I mentioned the idea to dh and he likes it too. Also, it strikes me that box cones could serve another design purpose, if I put some similar ones on the other side of the garden in particular places to unite the design. The last people were very freeform but there's an axis from left to right left over from the Victorian design for the garden which I want to make more of.

Camassia looks interesting and actually might work in the front garden if my agapanthuses don't work out!

Lovely pictures. What a cloud of forget-me-nots, and I love the tulips with the streaks (can't remember what the technical name is) as they remind me of the 17th century and tulip mania. I've only just discovered drumstick primulas this year but I love them.

Funnyperson, sorry to hear you're ill - hope you get better soon!

Box balls are lovely too. I already have some salvias in my collection of things to go in the border!

My white dicentra is very nearly flowering and the pink one is popping up nicely.

i'm planning three box balls in my garden as a sort of unifying feature between three parts of the garden, but i don't think i will use box as my neighbour has had box blight. i will probably go for ilex crenata instead

Humph & maud - my late summer favourites are verbena Bon and penstemon. I now want some box planted at regular now, thanks to rhubarb.

Geoff - lovely mix of orange tulips and blue forget me knots.

Funny - Wish you better. I have only bothered to water my pots. My tulips were parched.

Yesterday i went for yet another interview. If I get this contract, we can afford to* finish landscaping the garden and I can complete my planting scheme. I'd like some David Austin roses (disease resistant - any recommendations?), a climbing hydrangea, a strawberries and cream hydrangea, a lace cap hydrangea, a guelder rose, some red dog wood, star jasmine and lots of different euphorbia and hardy geraniums.

*This may not be 100% true but it is what I told myself in order to get psyched up for the interview

Arf at your interview motivation, NANN! Hope it works. Incidentally, I just found another packet of zinnia seeds which I'll send you next week.

I finally have some verbena Bon which is flourishing in the front garden. I've attempted 'black' penstemons several times for my B&W border, but they've never taken off, which is why I now rely on geranium phaeum to provide the black.

Your hit list of desired plants is gorgeous - I have a few of them and am particularly excited by the star jasmine and strawberries and cream hydrangea (which are babies waiting to be planted).

Oh and my favourite roses from DA are Buff Beauty, Winchester Cathedral and (most of all) Darcey Bussell. I planted Heathcliff last year and he's looking as if he will be the first to flower this year.

Don't believe the DA catalogue about Susan Williams Ellis (boring pale green matt leaves and doesn't flower that early - also leaves always get eaten), and in a book of his roses, DA admits William Shakespeare suffers from blackspot, but doesn't mention it in the catalogue. Humph.

But I do love Teasing Georgia.

Sorry to hear you're feeling not so good, funnyperson.

I couldn't believe the weather yesterday, we were in the 25 degree zone, and when I got home from work the garden had almost miraculously burst into flower. It really showed how dramatically sun and warmth make things zoom into life. I have a very few pheasant's-eye narcissus, which were completely closed on Sunday and looked a few days away from blooming, but were fully out by early evening yesterday. I've also got a spiraea, 'Bridal Veil' (which I keep meaning to take out as it gets huge unless you really hack it back) - that had also exploded into flower and does look lovely just at the moment might have to spare it for another year

Oh, I could fit some penstemons in the front borders. That is a good idea.

Just been out with the toddler and the WEEDS! Dandelions everywhere. Grass needs cutting. We have not mulched this year, I see that the weeds are going to be bad as a result. My laid back approach of trying to see what is good rather than focusing on the to do list, is slightly failing today, but the toddler seems to want to be inside, so no gardening is getting done.

It's true Halsall I picked an armful of lilac this morning.

They're 'wild plants' Humphrey!! I love watching the insects go to my dandelions, I do cut the grass but leave plenty to go wild. Laid back is good .

Ref. lily beetle I just knock the stems every day to knock them off, they don't like that apparently, but jam or honey's a good idea too.

my lilac is only just coming into bud. i love it - along the back of my and all my neighbours' gardens for a good few houses down there is a row of lilacs that look wonderful when they come into flower

Argh to the news about William Shakespeare and black spot. Oh well, I'll just have to deal with it as and when it happens.

Oh yes and I LOVE the perfume of lilac Chpper

Try the banana skin treatment on yr William Sh. rose, Maud all mine are looking good this year after it. (they weren't before it)

Is that when you chop up banana skins and stick them round the roses Ppeatfruit? My William Shakespeare got black spot last year but then to be fair, quite a few did.

I am waging a one woman war on dandelions in the back garden. The tulips have suddenly burst into flower with the lovely weather. Predictably the forget me nots aren't yet.