"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.

What's the banana skin treatment, ppeatfruit? I plant them with a banana skin if I have one lying around, but are you using them as a mulch?

Ppeat - What is this mysterious banana skin treatment? All my roses suffer with black spot and I eat a banana nearly every day...

Don't know if any of you remember my neighbour fence problem last year. It needs a bit of gravel but tulips are out there now and it looks a bit better.

That's looking good.

::dreams of new fence::

You can borrow my neighbour, he'll sort it out for you - you might not have any plants left when he has finished though !

Could you talk to me about which Dahlias you are all growing this year please ?

That's my worry, that NDN will finally get around to replacing the fence when everything is in full growth and will trash my garden in the process.

I am growing Top Mix dahlias - an impulse buy. They'll be going in a big pot with (if they grow) chocolate cosmos, a canna and osteospermum Tresco Purple.

That sounds lovely Maud. I'd like a Canna, never had one. Is your neighbour generally a sensible type ?

I'm hoping it will be my tropical riot pot, although even in the front garden cannas don't get the baking they need to be happy. There will also be a geranium psilostemon to add some magenta to the mix.

I don't want to say too much about the NDN, as I harbour a suspicion she may be a MNer, but no, I don't think they're very sensible, as they have not kept to the agreement I thought we had reached about replacing the fence and so it is getting worse and pretty soon the next section will collapse. I thought we had agreed that the work would be done in Sept 2013, yet here we are with a huge hole still in the fence.

Ah, countess I didn't realise they were old fruit trees. Definitely the right thing to do to keep them then. I would find a way of positioning the box cones amongst them. Great if you can do matching ones across the other side of the garden too, as you describe.

I'm loving the box topiary love

How very annoying about your fence, Maud.

The pond is filling! turned it off for now as it's too dark to keep an eye out but will finish it in the morning.

I like the idea of a 'riot pot'. Is anyone good at hanging baskets? Is there a failsafe mix/number of plants that always work for anyone. I so want successful hanging baskets this year. My NDN does them beautifully and he doesn't have a clue about plants. Why can't i do that.

I'll be cutting off my rhubarb flowering stem tomorrow and chucking more manure at them. Thank you Laurie

I try not to think about it too much, Rhubarb, as it's not good for my blood pressure! The deeds are unclear but I'm pretty sure the boundary is theirs so I think we've been generous in offering to split the cost, and it's infuriating that they're dragging their feet.

I may not have succeeded in the tulip / forget-me-not combo but I have managed it quite accidentally with the fritillaries.

My dahlias are bishop's children

Your pond is going to be fantastic bertha

sugarplum that fence looks good, our neighbours are partly replacing a hedge with a fence by our deck, I hope it's as good as that!

Re Dahlias, I am growing Sarah Ravens purple collection which I bought last year in tha sale, they have all survived. This year I'm mixing in Jescot Julie, another orange one (nameless tesco) and one of the Bishops to turn it into Venetian. I grew them in pots last year but am putting them in a long bed this year, the tubers are so big I don't have pots big enough! I've got quite a few Crocosmia dotted around in pots so I'm planning to put them in with the Dahlias too. They looked good in a vase together last year.

Laurier, that's wonderful! You talented woman!

I have always had a hankering to learn how to do joinery, but too scared to give it a go!

I feed my elk horn and stag horn ferns banana skins, chopped up a bit and shoved down the back of the fern where it holds onto its frame. They get fed twice a year.

Sorry for not answering the banana queries (I have to go off here sometime, I just watch a larger screen, at least I can do my sewing then ) Like echt You can chop them up or whatever and just mulch the plant with them, I sometimes use 'too brown' bananas as well. Coffee grounds are good too.

Have you got your liner sorted then bertha ?? Please tell about it. I'm looking at our old enamel bath (we're getting a new bathroom fitted soon) and fantasising about getting it out of our upstairs window in one piece and then into the pond!!

On hanging baskets, I think the answer is more is more. With troughs and hanging baskets, I tend to leave more growing room than the plants actually need, and so the finished thing looks too sparse. This year, I have two of those (frankly quite ugly) plastic hanging baskets that have slots through which you fit the plants - they claim this prevents damage to the roots - and I am hoping that the number of plants will help the thing look denser. I have violas and calibrachoa on order and may supplement those with some of my fuchsia and osteospermum cuttings. Another plant I love for troughs is lantana, but I can't always get hold of it.

I don't do hanging baskets, just changing ,and watering, the planters on the terrace twice a year is enough for me - that reminds me I've got to, either, let the hyacinths die off in situ because they're looking terrible atm, and save them like I did last year - or put them in other pots somewhere else, to do the same, then buy some new pelargoniums. I've only managed to over winter 2 pels. Though I didn't try hard

I was given some good advice about hanging baskets and small planters and that is to feed every time you water, so daily. You probably already do this but I thought it worth a mention. I had trailing petunias in a tiny window box at a previous house, I fed them daily and they gave me the most amazing lot of flowers.

Yes, I'm extremely generous with the tomato maxicrop!

Here I am, Tweeting live from the Curzon cinema ...

Enjoy the evening, Maud, I'll report back on our trip to the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse some time, if anyone would like to hear about it.

I'm other news - the ducks are BACK !! Hoorah!

That's great news about your ducks Halsall!

I hope you enjoyed the film, Maud. Wish I could have joined you. The PTA quiz was fun though and there was a question 'which conifer beginning with L has the Latin name Larix?' and I was very smug about knowing it was the larch - every other team put Leylandii - hah!