From a warm week, to the next with 4 nights of frost and day-time highs of 7 deg C — I’ve been fleecing the sweet peas. I guess a good thing about a cold snap is that spring bulbs last longer. Let’s celebrate that with a tulip-special for #SixOnSaturday.

I’ve gone for a few new ones this year….perhaps the most purple variety I have tried yet, I like the rich colour of these.

As a contrast, nearby there’s a pot of tulips with a sort of spiky flower, in hot pink. Nice.

I managed to get hold of a range of ‘species tulips’ this year, the ones closest to the wild-type that grow in eastern Turkey. These are lovely, each flower about the size of the top-joint of a thumb. Not out yet, but I bet they burst open soon.

Another pretty pink, this variety are enormous, and the centre of the flower holds a rich black portion.

I think I’m going to like these too when they fully flower, a sort of orange-to-pink, they look like they have been painted.

And finally, last year’s tulip display got a bit out of hand, but I managed to keep a load of bulbs and plant into the borders later. So as well as the pots, I now have some in the garden. This low border looks particularly good with an array of red tulips providing some colour before the perennials get going. It was worth the extra effort.

Stay safe, take care out there, and don’t forget to follow the crowd on Mastodon. Join the sixes on Mastodon via #SixOnSaturday (other instances in the Fediverse are available), but we need a few more folk to toot on the topic: come join us. All you need to do is find 6 things in your garden to show us. Then post on social, or add a link at Jim’s blog below. For regulars, our organiser is Jim at https://gardenruminations.co.uk/. Also on twitter @JamesLStephens. And I’m now mostly on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot