"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.

Sorry folks, I meant to say how nice echt's window potted pond is, also Halsall's pretty garden and seat (I fancy that seat too Bertha) . Nice idea to use a proper ladder Geoff btw I use a gingko biloba supplement for short term memory loss, it works Also it's a lovely tree I bought mine from London to here which has arrested it's growth a bit but it's not dead!

Millie is in vet. hospital having the amputation as we speak (the growth is malignant ) .

I'll come back and have a read later to catch up properly but has to stick my head in quickly. You can all talk about your Mme Alfred Carriere's now without me going and then going out and being with mine. Mine is on year 4, it is April and I have seen 4 buds already. Seeing it has managed the sun total of 3 flowers in its life time this is great progress.

fingers crossed for milliecat

i'm going to take advantage of the expertise on here when my roses come out as i'm not sure what they are (three climbers, all different). one might be mme alfred carriere but i'm not sure - MIL thought it might be an iceberg. i also have a Mystery Climber that looks like jasmine when it doesn't have flowers, but looks nothing like jasmine in terms of flowers (in my limited experience) and has no scent

Just seen about Millicat, fingers firmly crossed here too.

All the best for Millie

My Cornus canadensis that I bought at Chelsea last year is starting to flower! And my apple blossom is making me very happy. The Wisteria is starting to come out too.

Cornus canadensis and russet apple blossom.

fabulous cornus. Still no apple/plum/pear blossom here. Perhaps because we are in a frost pocket.
however the geranium phaeum are beginning to flower!!!!! and some almost black tulips: queen of the night!

My geranium phaeum is flowering too. I love it!

I'm finding the black or very dark flowers such as Queen of the Night and Geranium phaeum go surprisingly well with all the pastel colours of spring. I'm really enjoying the black violas that ds chose for his little alpine garden.

Fantastic pictures everyone! I will go out and have a look at my geranium phaeum in the morning. Hope it is flowering.

Good luck to Millie cat, fingers crossed.

If we lived a little closer Maud I could pass on some mint. I have rooted most of mine several times. The only one that has gone since winter is the ginger.

Our camassia are flowering, you see them as you come through the arch into the cottage borders. I went to a garden last year where there was a meadow full of camassia seed heads. I wish I had seen it in full flower.

I agree, Rhubarb. The (notionally) black flowers add depth and make everything a little less twee.

Yes, somehow darker purples set off the spring colours beautifully
I looked up blossom times for cox apple trees on the Brogdale website and find that blossom is not to be expected for another 1-2 weeks so I have hastily fed and manured the fruit trees in hope.

May morning tomorrow. The birds know it!

I think dandelions are best left where they are happiest Maud. You can keep them.

Two of the apple trees in the orchard are in blossom, the rest are way off.

Can't believe it's May already. I need to catch up with sowing stuff. I'm behind this year. And what I did sow hasn't germinated because it was too dry.

Are there any updates on Milliecat ppeat? Hope she recovers well from the op.

hope cat recovers. my response is somewhat muted due to having just read the new ian mcewan book.

Hope Milliecat is well, my cat, who has the same name and is sitting on my knee at the moment, waves in sympathy.

She will soon be off to the cat cinema, i.e. watching the goldfish beadily.

Rhubarbcat is purring throatily and treading my stomach, her grey rectangle of fur on her back a permanent reminder of her radiation therapy. She sends Milliecat her purrs of understanding.

Hope Millicat is on her way to recovery this morning. I have a photo combining cats and dark flowers.

That is lovely, SugarPlumTree, plants and cat alike! I have a pretty black and white cat that comes every day to sit under my grapevine.

Thank you all very much the human and feline good wishes have crossed the ocean to Nantes and worked Millie's through the operation and is minus a leg they are keeping her in till Monday.

Talking about Nantes it's quite near the sea and we visited a nice seaside town after dropping Millie, the name is Pornic if anyone is thinking about holidaying over here this summer. It's above La Rochelle on the Brittany coast, now La Rochelle is fabulous esp. if you include the Isle de Re' .

Thanks everyone for your ladder suggestions, I'm going to use a variegated ivy, that I already have and also some apple mint fell into my basket yesterday oops!

Best wishes to Millie cat ppeat

Lovely picture sugar

Very glad operation over Ppeatfruit and hope the weekend passes quickly for you so she can be home again.

I've been able to get outside for a couple of hours. Took out a shrub that looked very sick by the neighbours new fence and moved a wild rose that needed a differen space into where it was. Moved two rose cuttings and fingers crossed they will survive. Moved a Hibiscus that was too cramped to a space which had cranesbill in.

Pruned back Vibernum to find my 3 blueberry plants, mulched and watered. All the roses have mulch of compost and something beginning with V, Vitax ? Plus water. Planted the two clematis from last weekend plus a couple of hellebore then hacked off more of geranium Rozanne (must stop now or will kill it)

Looked around and thought it might actually not be a good idea to go to plant sale tomorrow as apart from veg plants I actually don't need anything. I've managed to fill the two new borders with bits from around the garden. I've just about got room for Dahlias and some seedlings from greenhouse and I think that is that. Really must stop buying roses as unless I dig up lawn I haven't any space.

Thank you Geoff and sugarplum I LOVE white cats (we had 2 and you couldn't complain about them at all , friendly and intelligent, more like dogs actually!) Pretty garden I see you like your purple wall flowers as well You have good taste! Sounds like you've been busy.

It's pi----g with rain here but I like it when it's cloudy, I planted some lilies in the mauve garden, gave my almond, nectarine, gingko and strange apricot tree a potash mulch. Our helper cut a lot of grass here yesterday apart from where my old fashioned bulbs and the stars of Bethlehem are growing. I managed to stop him in time!

the plants i've ordered have arrived at MIL's! (she kindly lets us get them delivered to her whilst we're at work)

Love all the pics, people

Rhubarb, that cornus is lovely

Falalalalala la la la
Happy Mayday everyone!
I was up at the crack of dawn, along with the rest of Oxford, listening to madrigals sung from Magdalen tower and watching men waving hankies about whilst jumping up and down with bells on their legs.
Three very nice breakfasts and some hours later I zoomed back up the motorway to my little garden and imbibed tea and cake in the sun with friends. A perfect May day.
Mum's lawn is perfectly striped. I do not know how her gardener does it.