"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.

Really lovely Sugar I can almost smell them

That's a beautiful photo.

Humph I hope you have a lovely time at the Malvern show.

We visited Glendurgan National Trust Garden today. So many unusual and interesting plants. And one very cool laurel maze.

That looks lovely Rhubarb, I've never seen a laurel maze before.

I havery something to show you all but you'lyou'll have to squint as it is high up and my phone won't zoom. First rose of the season in my garden. Ironically after all.mall.my moaning about her it is Mme Carriere.

That's lovely, Sugar I have buds but no roses yet. Though the banana treatment has made them look a lot healthier!

I also have buds all over the mystery rose but no flower yet

Everything looks all sparkly and fresh after the showers! Could have done with more sustained gentler rain (though I think we did get that overnight) rather than the heavy blustery squalls this afternoon.

My garden is looking far happier for the rain. Garden centre trip tomorrow for a bench to go by the pond. and definitely no plants

I have come back from MILs with four wonderfully healthy baby courgette plants as I have panicked about mine not germinating yet. I just know that mine will all now pop up and I will be over run with courgettes again. But, just in case...

Has anyone collected seeds from fritillaries before? I want to get some from those in the front garden to go in the bog garden. I keep eyeing up the seed pods but don't know how I'll know when they're ready.

I went to a local ngs garden: they had a presentation trowel and a fork, because they had been open for the ngs for 10 and 20 years!
The auriculas in the greenhouse were beautifully scented and the stepover apples were absolutely laden with sweet smelling blossom.
Bluebell wood tomorrow if the family allow- I'm aiming for Cliveden, its not too far from here, and is where the bluebells were filmed in 'a little chaos' otherwise we will just amble down to our local woods.

The garden is heavenly after the rain. Clematis montana and geranium phaeum and forgetmenots and tulips and primroses and hellebores and quince and cherry blossom still going and choisya in flower, iris budding and hostas and peonies unfurling and everything that perfect emerald May green now that it has rained.
The web simply says of fritillary seeds 'collect the seeds as soon as they ripen'

Mmmm. That makes it sound simple funny.

I'm afraid I have no idea how one tells if a fritillary seed is ripe or not.

I have spent the day in the open air with the Brownies ::windswept:: but one unexpected treat was that the woodland on the campsite was full of bluebells. It was a delight.

I haven't been into the garden today, alas, but I'm sure it benefitted from all tha rain we had last night.

This is a bit more detailed, from Carol Klein, on the subject of fritillary seeds.
www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardeningadvice/3301895/Fritillary-favourites.html

Wow feels like this thread is romping away much like the weeds in my garden! Loving the new potting shed baby and best wishes for Millie cat.

Have post a picture of my tulips as there is a lovely mix of Negrita and queen of the night which I planted three years ago and appears to be multiplying. The pink ones are lovely and I need to look up the list of ones I bought as I don't remember buying pink ones, mind you the Orange ones I bought are actually yellow so who knows.

Very jealous of all the lovely gardens . I am trying to redecorate my old house that we rent out so am spending time either near my garden that I have worked on for four years that looks awful due to still awaiting the garage base being finished, or near my old garden that has been neglected for four years and is depressing. Hopefully I can get out into either of them soon!

Lovely tulips. Oh how I love tulips. I'm a bit disappointed in some of my choices this year - Negrita not dark enough and Queen of Night flopping around on bendy stems - but they look fantastic there. And is that a peony behind them?

Those are lovely Squeaky. I like the back drop of the peony (?) foliage. Was just reading up to see if others find their Queen of Night multiply as well and found a picture of them against a fairly similar foliage which I think is probably clematis recta purpurea . Having sworn no more plant buying I have ordered it as have a gap it will fit in and hopefully look good behind my Queen of Night, fingers crossed they come back next year.

Just been out for a potter and pleased to see something that looks like a bud on one of the peonies and found 3 pelargoniums not killed off over winter.

I need something for mid/late summer on the raised bank under the conifers. Poor soil, gets sun a bit in the morning. Things takes long time to establish but generally do in the end. Am fine for spring but after the bluebells die off not a lot happens apart from Mexican fleabane over the edge of wall. Want something perennial as have been faffing about with pelargoniums but they don't do particularly well and would prefer not to replant every year. Any suggestions ?

Lovely hellebores too Squeaky (Thanks for the best wishes for Millie we're collecting her today she's doing well according to the hospital, we never had this service in England that's for sure !) Hellebores would be fine under your conifers sugar or hydrangeas (i've grown both successfully under my conifers but you do have to remember to water them).

I planted a white wisteria and another honeysuckle in my new 'hedge' garden yesterday. It's more like " A climbers to cover an ugly fence" garden, I'll take some before and after pix of it .

Excellent news that Millie is coming home I love white wisteria.

No space for a hydrangea, forgot to say that there it isn't very wide. So not much space, dry soil, bit of morning sum, flowers June/July onwards plus perennial.

Excellent news about MillieCat.

Would lamium work, SugarPlumTree? It's good on slopes (as is vinca).

Have spent most of the daylight hours this weekend in the garden, which is lovely. Sowed some veg; pricked out phlox, stock, ornamental poppies, verbena, dianthus, and others I have forgotten; planted out hardy geraniums, dicentra, a daphne odora, digitalis plugs, liriope muscari. Just waiting for ferns and hellebores and then the woodland border will be complete wrt perennials.

My day so far has been in the garden. Had a mutually beneficial plant swap with a neighbour, have been planting out those treasures and others and painting the trolley that it is being upcycled to become my potting bench. One thing I should have thought of is that is veneered and it probably won't be long before the veneer lifts and the whole thing disintegrates. Oh well.

Cosmos fans - can I leave seedling pants out now or will they need overnight shelter?

That would be seedling plants, obviously.

Maud my cosmos seedlings are in the cold frame still, though I have been keeping it open for the last few nights as it has been mild. I'm not going to be planting them out for another few weeks, but this is not due to expert knowledge - just that I am waiting for other plants to be ready so I can work out the scheme (in my amateurish way...)

I'll be cautious, then, and put them in the cold frame. It was chock-a-block this morning, but my planting session should create some space for them.

lovely Tulips Squeaky

ppeat I'm glad Millie is ok :)

rhubarb what a weird and wonderful plant.

funny May Day celebrations -how lovely.

My Bh weekend has consisted of work, a real Ale festival and a lovely visit to the garden centre with dd1 her idea although much because she likes to partake in the tea and cake aspect, but we had an enjoyable wander and she is going to plant up a hanging basket. She chose nepeta and a trailing lobelia, I've got some other bits she can use. This is the child that hates gardening. Her school is having a traditional summer fete with quite a few growing based competitions which she would like to enter so I'm pleased. She has also sown carrots, pattypan squash, and radish.

I'm just sitting in the garden-room (= dumping-ground/clothes-drying space/potting shed/general tip) and gazing through the open door into the garden, where it's just started raining.

I did a bit of gentle-ish digging on Sat and today, trying to restore some order to my hideously uncared-for veg beds - the raspberries have encroached and I've lazily left them for far too long. Then came inside and sowed yet more runner-beans.

We have so many goldfinches in the garden, their wheezy little song is everywhere. I'm hoping they have a nest or two in the vicinity. I'm also looking right now at a beautiful bullfinch, which parks itself on the seed-feeder (one of them - we have 6 ) and chases everything else away. Incredibly feisty for such a tiny bird.

I'm now looking forward to an evening of slow TV on BBC 4. Yes, I'm a walking middle-aged cliche but I don't care. Bliss.