"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'm gutted about the GD plant fair. One of the nurseries who will be there has put a picture on Twitter of some very lush hellebores that they will be taking. And I might have got a chance to hobnob with Rhubarb. ::gnashes teeth::

I have a teeny variegated sage, bought from a NT garden, which has got through the winter. I might give it a trim tomorrow, in the hope of promoting new growth.

We shall just have to hob nob somewhere else Maud!

I meant sprout new shoots by the way, not new roots. I don't know why I typed roots.

I hadn't noticed the fresh roots until you pointed it out, Rhubarb. It was one of those typos where I read what I expected to be there, rather than what actually was. Anyway, I knew what you meant and will be taking the secateurs to the sage tomorrow.

I'm so achey today after all that compost turning and wheelbarrow trundling yesterday. Somehow tomorrow I have to plant the nineteen rhododendrons; my client's regular gardener has gleefully informed her that I'll need a pick axe as the ground along the drive is rock hard. Uh oh.

(The aged regular gardener is, shall we say, less than enthusiastic about the new planting.)

may i join? i took a whole day off work yesterday to do jobs in the garden - it was lovely (and dp commented that i smelt of soil and sweat when i collected him from work. thanks for that). i am trying to overhaul a whole bed, but it is packed with bulbs that are just coming up and looking lovely, so i'm fretting about when to do stuff to it and will have to wait for most of them to have come and gone. i need to remove some of the bulbs (previous owner put in spanish bluebells which choked the garden last year - it's a teeny space and was overwhelmed). i have removed the larger shrubs already.

Thank you Rhubarb I shall add sage pruning to my Easter weekend list! It is sunny here today after an overnight frost - I think I will tackle the 'grass' this afternoon. Sadly we have a lot of it and none of it is level or actually particularly good grass! Challenging!

Maud The tall sage gets leggy much quicker than the short variety but it all responds to a good trim.

Rhubarb 19 rhodies and you're aching too before starting on them!! double . May I recommend arnica oil and pillules to you?

Welcome Chopper I love bluebells but my garden doesn't .

Hello, Chopper. Welcome.

We've had a bit of rain overnight, but I suspect we need more. Everything's looking very dry.

I got nine of the nineteen done. I have aches on my aches. I wish I'd seen your post about arnica earlier in the day when I could have bought some. I may go on a mission to find some tomorrow.

The soil wasn't all that hard. Faffy more than anything else, as there is hideous vile weed matting down under bark chips so I have to scrape away the bark, cut through the matting, dig hole, then replace everything carefully. I will finish it on Friday. I think it's going to look lovely.

Hello Chopper! Dig out those Spanish bluebells. They are Devil's work.

I know, what was previous owner thinking??

Hello ppeat - i'm usually petula on the archers thread, under a slight namechange

Spanish bluebells are indeed the Devil's work. I still have them popping up in random and unwelcome places.

I'm ashamed of how long it took me to "get" Petula's name.

We're going to be busy/away for most of April. Is it odd that I'm annoyed I'll he missing out on some prime garden time?
Chopper, think we're at similar points, previous owner was all about ivy & bulbs so garden is all one or the other. Haven't even looked at the front garden to see what's there!

Ds1 (3) planted a blueberry rootball today, that's basically all I've managed today.

Rhubarb, managed to find some arnica in tesco recently. Hope you're not too sore tomorrow!

Oh Hello ms. Gordino ! We have good taste being on the best threads on here!!

Ref. Arnica, Boots does it. But a good health food shop will have the oil which is very effective Rhubarb !

Maud You know Petula as well do you? We love Dinner Ladies too. It's nice to meet people with taste !!

Hey congratulate me I finally planted my Magnolia today!

Sorry too many exclamation marks

Hello, all the dogwood going in today, sadly not planted by me but feels like the garden is moving forward nonetheless. I think it is going to be great when it is done.

Hello everyone.
Rhubarb, hope you're feeling less stiff today!

I've been planting lilies in pots with the intention of moving them to the borders once the garden wall has been fixed. Lilies are one of the few things I managed to not kill in the old house.

I love lilies too Countess They are so beautiful and look so fragile (the scent is fabulous too) I'm always surprised when they grow for me!

I meant to ask you if you got hold of the Morville Hours book?

Thank you for the reminder - I've just ordered it!

i read that a couple of years ago - it is lovely

You'll love it, I keep it by my bed to dip into! Here's a poem (by Housman from A shropshire Lad) that is in the book about blossom trees-

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.

Now of my threescore years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score,
It only leaves me fifty more.

And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.

And Katherine Swift comments- Housman is right. Seize the day. The garden will be fine without you.

Lovely poem.

I have just been internet shopping for this year's wacky and wonderful seeds to spice up the veg plot and conservatory growing. If anyone else wants to peruse the unusual, this is the place to go. I always have to resist the totally weird but have bought seeds for massive climbing courgettes, mini melons, climbing spinach, sesame seed plants and my usual tomatillos (but two varieties this year).

Tomorrow's task is hiding from 6 small girls potting up the over chitted oca.

Climbing spinach?! I have always fancied those walking onions for a bit of fun, and this year I'm trying gherkins. Tomatillos were all eaten by slugs last year as was scorzonera, but I will try them both again.

The seeds from some tiny pear shaped yellow tomatoes I got in an organic box last year have germinated. I find seeds that I have saved even more exciting than ordinary seed.

Some pix of the blossom in the front garden. I reckon spring is the prettiest time here