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

It has been a gorgeously sunny week in Scotland. I’ve been away up north, where it was calm, sunny and 18 deg C…..a week of Scottish Highland paradise. meanwhile, the sunshine has brought the garden on tremendously. Here’s another splash of new season colour.

First alamanchia, a great shrub, I love the way that the red-bronze leaves set off the white blossom.

Last winter, I hacked away at a huge set of old clematis montana set against the stone house wall. They’ve looked ropey, but suddenly a few flowers have arrived.

Also against the house wall, I host a very old pear tree, probably 200 years old, and it spreads it branches round one of the windows. It is just COVERED in blossom this year.

Tulips are coming into their own now. I’ve got some nice new ones in pots, and last year’s are doing well in the garden. I think this little pot is a leftover from last year…still doing well.

Pond plants have just started, some lovely ranunculus, flowering away in buttery yellow.

The pond has been giving us a little trouble for a while. A HUGE waterlily, has been floating up to the surface. Yesterday I plucked up the courage to get in, pull the whole thing out (very heavy) , and chop it up. The pond was very cold lower down, but the sunshine kept me warm. We’ll put about 25% back into the pond and removed all the rotting bits.

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

Despite our Scottish weather turning up the ‘wet and wild’, every time I look around there seems to be a new flower blooming. I do love spring. Let’s celebrate #SixOnSaturday with some blooms. First up, finally my large camellia in the shaded north-facing area has got her act together. Well worth the wait.

Magnolia stellata has also just begun to raise a few shy flowerheads.

Does anyone know why old cherry trees send out blossom on tiny branches coming out from their old thick stems? I don’t know, but mine is up to its usual tricks.

At the other end of the garden, my first rhododendron has started flowering while I had my back turned. How did I miss this?

To end, I went mad on potted tulips last year. This year I couldn’t resist a few bright red ones again. On the right are some new purple ‘species tulip’ — I believe this is one of the species that grows wild in western Turkey…subtle, much smaller, yet gorgeous.

Bang! ….for the finale, a new colour for me this year, a really ‘pinky pink’ pot full of tall elegant tulips…hope the rain and wind don’t destroy them.

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.

A long weekend for some, but in Scotland, not all employers offer the holiday, mine included. So just a normal weekend…..but fairly promising weather, including some sunshine to bring on flowers and growth. In which case, it’s high time I showed you my daffs at their best. hard to know where to start, lets go with my new favourite, some delicate white ones.

As a contrast, how about a bright orange centre setting off more standard yellow petals?

I do like the gentle colours, this one is a rather pleasant white with just the palest yellow centre.

This variety has a very similar shape, feels like someone has turned up the yellow button, to deliver yellow petals and a pinky-orange centre.

More frills in the middle, and more colour, but less is more on the petals, and yes, there’s also a free insect (tiny little fly, I don’t know what!).

And to finish, of course some lovely all-butter-yellow daffs. Gotta love how narcissus bring us properly into spring.

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.

Winter dragged on forever this year, so how come we’ve suddenly hit April? Blimey. To celebrate I’m going to sow all those lovely annual flowers that I always mean to and so often forget. Because I live in Scotland, where we can get frost into May, I risk little outdoors, sowing most stuff into my generous greenhouse first. I will start my #SixOnSaturday there this week. Here’s the current state of part of the greenhouse bench, with the first two brave tomatoes that looked tall and strong enough to graduate from the house. You can also see a selection of veg, from peas, though pak choi and kale, to a few chilli.

While I was in the greenhouse, I noticed some of my osteospermum, which I overwinter in there, and draw cuttings from in spring. This plant is into full rock and roll mode already.

In demure contrast, and out in the wilds of the garden, possibly my favourite Scottish spring plant, and one I’m hoping to see over in the west very soon, the delightful primrose.

This year I bought a range of ‘species tulips’ to try. These are the native types, as, I suppose, one would see in the wild in western Turkey or Iran. They are not what I was expecting at about 3cm long and 0.5cm width, but they are very pretty indeed. I hope they don’t get too bashed this weekend in the rain.

When I moved to my current home, spring offered the amazing surprise of hundreds of daffodils. As I haven’t dug them up to replace, I think I’ve fewer now, but they can still put on an excellent display.

April has opened with driech, grey, drizzly weather. Something that always delivers, despite the rain, is the wallflower. This one has rich wonderful colour, especially against the grey stone wall. so this deserves to be the last of my six this week.

Stay safe, take care out there, and don’t forget to follow the crowd on Mastodon. We are starting to get the sixes going on Mastodon (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.