"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.

It would be far too shady for thyme - it's underplanting for a hedge. I've never yet found the ideal spot for thyme.

Pond is 6m by 3.5m. I'm a little concerned that the level appears to have dropped about an inch today. I really hope it's 'settling' rather than leaking. I shall be watching it closely.

On wildlife, as soon as we'd finished adding the stones last night a robin was jumping all over them happily. Tonight, just lots of what I think are Mosquitos laying eggs! But I guess we need mosquito larvae in there to attract in other bugs to eat them. Got to start somewhere.

On other news, we checked up on the chicken maternity unit this afternoon and now we have five chicks! Remaining two eggs I don't think will hatch but that's not a bad little brood. I'll post more chick photos once they start moving around more and come out from under mummy chicken's wings.

We really need some rain. All that's growing in the garden & veg plot is weeds & sycamore seedlings.

We need rain here, too. It does feel as if there might be rain soon, but I've been fooled that way before. Parts of the garden are looking very dry.

Forecast here is for rain on Friday. I'm going to have to water the long bed and the veg plot at this rate as well as the pots I'm already doing. We didn't get the rain that was forecast last Saturday. Dry as a bone here.

Desperately dry here too. I really hope that the rain that's promised at the weekend materialises.

Thank you for all your lovely congratulations The builders start on the back garden this morning!

They are laying a new patio and curved path. they are also taking out some random concrete posts and an ancient yellow jasmine (which is mostly wood) and replacing the fence panels behind it. We've gone for blue/black slate as it reminds DH of the Lakes, where he grew up, and I like the look of hot pink/orange/purple flowers against it.

I also need a washing line. Are rotary ones ok? I used to have a great straight line but I can't see that working with a curved path.

My Sarah raven dahlias have not returned or my hostas. I'm in SE London, should I be worried yet?

Sugar - I had blue bayou, it was lovely.

Morning, NANN! Of the five free hostas from GW magazine that I've been growing on, four have quite large shoots and one hadn't shifted at all.

I need a new washing line. I'll probably get a rotary, but a while back someone here (Bertha? SugarPlumTree?) posted a large, moveable drier that looked rather good but I didn't keep details.

Some of my Dahlias are up, but not all and they are in a greenhouse so there is still time. My Hostas have the smallest of buds.

Yesterday I sorted out all the Pelagoniums repotting and arranging outside. They were cheap plug plants last year and have all survived. I also spit a large clump of Crocosmia and put them at intervals where the Dahlia are to go. Inspired by how lovely the orange Tulips and blue forget-me-nots look, I'm planning a Morning Glory, Crocosmia combo and have erected a temporary trellis at the end of the Dahlia bed.

I could do without rain this weekend as its dd1s Birthday and she is having a garden party.

I have a long washing line, I only notice it if there is washing on it. Rotary s are good I believe, and can fit more on.

Congrats on the pond and the chicks Bertha I told dh the frogs and toads in a pond will eat the mossies. Will you get some frogs spawn or wait for it to happen naturally?

Out compooter has been down and out little cat had to go to the vet yesterday, it looks like she has a cancer on her leg and will need a scan .

(namechanger here - was chopper)

dry here too, though we had a very brief and light shower on sunday, but it was all of ten minutes

planted a magnolia fairy (cream) on saturday - in a pot as the soil is alkaline. moved crocosmia, snow-in-summer and some violets now that the mowing edge has been finished. nearly got the last of the bluebells out!

poor cat ppeat

Poor cat, ppeat . We lost our almost-19 yo cat 2 years ago, it's very upsetting.

Re rats, we had one recently that came and practically sat under one of the bird-feeders waiting for the grub to shower down on him. He was brazen. DH waged a campaign with poison and a special trap and we think he finally took the bait and staggered off to expire. We haven't seen him since.

My mum had a similarly cheeky rat in her garden but we weren't able to put poison down because she has red squirrels In the vicinity. Naturally they're protected.

Thanks Hapshawl and Halsall Yes it's sad, hopefully it's only in the leg and the vet said if that's the case they\ll amputate (she's only 11) I don't know if they put digital legs on them !

Hapshawl It confuses me when people NC!! You can add lots of acidic compost to the earth to give your magnolia a boost. The label on mine says they're good with neutral soil. I love mine it's blooming beautifully and I only planted it 3 weeks ago! A great improvement on the sad old bay tree that was there before!

My black tulip magnolia is over, Lilac is going to be next to flower.

Poor cat, my neighbour has a 3 legged cat, it manages very well.

Halsal red squirrels, Isle of Wight by any chance?

I had a bit of a woo moment yesterday, when potting on a hardy fuschia the air was filled with the smell of piped tobacco. My dear late Grandfather who loved Fuschias, used to smoke it!

AAh that's good news about your neighbour's cat thanks Geoff It's weird when things like that happen (about the smell of pipe tobacco).

Red squirrels are here too ( I don't miss the greys!). I saw them (and black ones) in a rare breed farm in Devon they are lovely!

My lilac is out fully I love it!!

callmegeoff, no, the North-West Coast. They're doing well actually, after nearly being wiped out by the horrible squirrel-pox a few years ago, but they no longer come and take nuts out of your hands, as they once did. Will try and post a pic of one on Mum's seed-feeders....

Ah I wondered if we might be neighbours and I could palm you off with some of my excess seedlings They are lovely, one of my favourite cafes has feeders set up so that you can watch them whilst eating. I've never had them in my garden sadly, not rural enough.

Ppeat the cat is quite elderly 17 I think and was in an RTA, it hasn't put her off roads though, she's often languishing in the middle of ours or terrorising my dog or pooing in any of my freshly dug beds. The only thing she can't do very well is climb, my neighbour is about to build a higher fence to try and contain her.

Lost you all! All in the Bramshott-household have been ill, and then away so not much gardening has been done so far.

However, the sun is out, the cowslips are flowering, and I'm aiming to do a little something in the garden every day. Admittedly yesterday that was just pulling up the nettles on the way to DD2's "den" so she could get through without stinging herself....

Sorry to hear about your little cat ppeat. Rhubarbcat is doing very well post cancer treatment; apart from the rectangle of grey fur where she was radioed you'd never know she'd had anything wrong with her. And that was a very aggressive form of cancer with a poor prognosis. Obviously it's only been a year since her surgery, and it could come back at any time, but so far so good. Keep us posted on what the vet says.

Do hope your cat is ok ppeat.

Made a lot of root cuttings from my mint collection today. Have lost many labels over the winter, and some plants have not come back. I had several types planted together, I have been frantically googling leaf shape images in order to tell one from the other. I can smell the difference between them but can identify which is lemon and which is orange iyswim. The ginger one has disappeared completely and I am totally confused as to what is black pepper and what is chocolate . I must take proper cuttings in the late summer and just replace the lot in the spring, I think that is the way to have healthy, vibrant plants if I am going to keep in pots.

I have thyme planted in a tub Maud, in very poor soil and full sun. I still have to replace it every year though, it just gets too woody. It is one of my most used herbs.

Speaking of herbs, I have been making Darina Allen's potato soup lately. Just sweat the potatoes and onion in butter, add stock and cook gently for about twenty minutes. Blend then add a generous handful of chopped lemon balm, chives, mint, rosemary, thyme, majoram and anything else you have growing. It is so nice. I am glad I have found a use for lemonbalm too!

I was in Hampshire and Dorset today- the countryside is looking glorious with bright yellow gorse in bloom along the roadsides and tree blossom everywhere and bluebells beginning to flower in the woods and blue blue sky.

In the early morning the blue sky fades into clear watery green at the horizon in the way only an English sky does, with none of the dusty orange haze you get in the tropics.

That potato soup sounds yummy.

Ppeat - Sorry about your cat

Bramdshott - My sympathies, hope you're all better now? All the nappy family seem to have been ill since the 1st of Jan.

My flu/chest infection has turned out to be a mild form if pneumonia - which explains why I CBA to do anything at the moment. I have weeding to do and my cuttings all need potting on, but the garden will have to wait.

The builders have dug a bit out for the patio and put 1 new fence panel in - the wrong way round. This is annoying me - I know they will change it when I ask them tomorrow - but right now it's really annoying me.

Still no sign of my dahlia or hosta - bit that I'm checking every 5 mins....

Maud what about ajuga reptans for under your hedge?

Fingers crossed for Ppeatcat. NAAN take it easy and let yourself recover - I'm impressed how quickly you got the builders into the garden ! I am currently minus my one hosta. Bramshott , hope you are all recovered now. FP agree countryside looking
Lovely right now.

My dahlias have apparently been dispatched. Don't know if anyone remembers my friend's garden that a few of you helped ID the plants last year ? I had a peak today and they have done loads, it is coming back to life. Lots of fruit trees and I think the cherry likely to be a desert one .