With Mother’s Day approaching ( March 15), I highly recommend giving a named rose as a gift that keeps on giving. Named plants are one of my favourite gifts to give, and Mother’s Day is the perfect occasion. There are lots of suitable names to choose from and you still have time to order online or check your local garden centre.

Choose from individual names like Elizabeth, Isabelle and Sophie’s Choice or something a bit more ‘motherly’ like Special Mum, Mum in a Million, My Mum, and even, Love You, Mum which are available from www.englishroses.co.uk. David Austin also has a superb collection of roses for all occasions and they are renowned for quality, having won 29 Gold Medals at Chelsea Flower Show. I love the rose, Tottering by Gently, (suitable for many Mums I suspect) with the simplicity of its single yellow flowers in open sprays on a shrub, making it suitable for most beds and borders.

Or how about the pink floribunda rose called ‘Thank You’, blooming from early summer to autumn and fragrant too.

For many of us, a beautiful ‘memory rose’ may be a suitable choice. Rosa 'Remember' is an award-winning Hybrid Tea Rose, with classic white scented flowers with a hint of very pale pink. These appear continuously from June to September and are good for cutting, which is another great way to remember a loved one. The plants are compact in habit with the new leaves emerging red tinged and turning to a bronzy dark green and glossy later in the season. I’ll be planting one in memory of Mum next weekend.

The birds have noticeably started to nest this month. The UK bird-nesting season generally runs from March to September with peak activity between March and July, and some birds, like blackbirds, starting as early as February in milder weather. During this time, it is illegal under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 to intentionally destroy active nests, eggs, or chicks. So it is advised to avoid cutting hedges, trees, or scrub during this period. If work is essential, do have a thorough look for nests first. Signs of nesting include birds carrying nesting materials, (and later, food) and constantly flying to one specific area.

The garden around my cottage is like a bird crèche every year. Whilst you will read that garden birds don’t use the same nest twice – it’s more ‘one-and-done’ - I do have a sparrow re-lining lasts year’s nest on an old beam with fresh moss. They obviously haven’t read the one-and-done rule.

Inevitably I will have to make adaptations somewhere and some time to accommodate and avoid disturbing the nesting birds. Last year I couldn’t use the front door as a wren had nested on a shelf next to it, the year before, I couldn’t use a shed as there were sparrows nesting in the entrance and one year I couldn’t have the oil tank filled as a blackbird had nested between the filling cap and the wall behind.

She can nest there with confidence this year as it looks like I won’t be able to afford to fill it for a while.

The Met Office also just released their latest 3 month seasonal forecast, which is surprisingly upbeat. It predicts a more than double the normal chance of spring being warmer than average with the rest of March, April and May all looking likely to be drier than usual too.

I do love the thought of warm, sunny days, though. Once the weather gets warmer, I’ll be unstoppable. Until it get’s too warm and then I’ll be stoppable again.