Spring is really here, despite temperatures still fluctuating a fair bit. As you will see from the pics below, I had to dodge rain showers (they will get the weeds growing) to find six lovely things for this week’s #SixOnSaturday

First up this week, narcissi are all very much into full flower now. These orange-centred ones are lovely, but they nod their heads very low. I almost had to get underneath them to take a picture.

Just a few snake’s head fritillary grace my spring flower borders, but WHAT a flower, it is always hard to figure out how that tiny checker-board pattern evolved.

Some tiny species tulips, just a couple of cm across are fighting to flower against the onslaught of wind and rain. If it gets sunny enough they will open right out into a star shaped flower. I hope they do.

Much more robust, grape hyacinth have spread right through the garden and waive at me in the breeze, almost everywhere I look.

The first wall-flower of the season have pushed out a flower. this one fabulous colours, I hope there will be lots more.

Last this week are another gaggle of lovely narcissi, these are such a delicate yellow that they are almost cream coloured. The cold temperatures will make them last another couple of weeks I suspect.

It’s almost April, so veg time is coming VERY soon. Hope you liked the simple blooms still showing us it is early spring. Thanks to those leaving comments on the blog – sorry if I don’t always get back to you on time! The blog is going well, but it would be great if more folk on Mastodon, or other parts of the Fediverse got into tooting a Six! Go on, it’s a much kinder form of social media, not controlled by crazy billionaires. 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/. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot

There has been lots of sun this week, yet some very cold nights (-3 degC one night). Some of the spring flowers are lasting a LONG time. I like that. And of course, it was the spring equinox on Thursday, so those of us at northern latitudes will now have longer days that those of you down south. I’m looking forward to all that light. To celebrate the lengthening days, I offer lots of garden colour for this week’s #SixOnSaturday.

First, there is something strong and sturdy about the traditional daffodil. I think some of mine have come early. Luckily, they seem to be flowering slowly, with lots still in bud. The frill on the trumpet of this is a very pretty detail.

Other spring flowers are slow to start, I think because the ground is still very cold. Primroses are just coming through. I like a variety of colours, this one is a bit artificial, but it pops out nicely from the brownish spring background.

My garden has a range of what are probably quite old varieties of narcissus. Here is a second one, a long elegant trumpet and gentle bobbing head. It has a very different feel to the bold one higher up this post.

A second form of primrose is much closer to the wild species. This one is offering lots of green with a cluster of flowers just coming. I’ll need to get out into the woods to see if the wild ones are coming now.

In a big pot that hosts a rose and some succulents, a chocolate-leafed Celandine pops up its lovely yellow flowers and foliage for just a couple of weeks each year. It has arrived.

For my last image this week, here is some rich and wonderful colour and foliage. A friend gave me a sorbaria a couple of years ago. Despite being almost knocked out by a cold spell just over a year ago, it has started to leaf. The complexity of the leaves and the bread of colours from pink to green make this a fascinating specimen plant for the borders. I hope it grows bigger in the next few years.

Spring is really on the way now. I must get out and try to mulch the borders and prepare the veg beds. Lately, I’ve been playing the greenhouse with seeds, we shall see how well the veg start. Thanks to those leaving comments on the blog – sorry if I don’t always get back to you on time! The blog is going well, but it would be great if more folk on Mastodon, or other parts of the Fediverse got into tooting a Six! Go on, it’s a much kinder form of social media, not controlled by crazy billionaires. 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/. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot

Mid-March, a hard frost last night will probably have blasted some of the lovely new shoots and buds that have been popping up. Luckily, I took photos yesterday for this week’s #SixOnSaturday.

I hope these have made it through their first cold night in the cold frame. A few broad beans that I started in the greenhouse are gearing up for the spring growing season. I need to plant more as some mice got into the greenhouse and feasted on some of my pots.

In pots on a sunny table near the greenhouse, spring blooms are busy. I love a drumstick primula, this one has delightful flowers and promising almost-furry buds.

New shoots are bursting forth. One of my favourites is magnolia stellata. I’ve been waiting a while, looks like I’ll have to wait a bit longer for the flowers. In the mean time the buds are now very fat and very furry.

Climbing roses are now awake, and showing off new shoots and leaves. This one shows an interesting detail of a red lining to each of the leaves.

It is good to spend some time investigating small details. Clematis Montana, for example, is pushing new shoots that will soon give us leaves and flowers.

My best find this week is a plant that only pops up some years, and hides in the not-quite-tidy borders. The wonderful erythronium (dogs tooth violet) is full of visual detail in both it’s foliage and the almost perfect flowers.

No frogs this week (see last week’s blog), I suspect they are back into torpor in the bottom of the pond, I hope the frogs wan make it through this chilly snap (freezing again this morning). The flowers and shoots are satisfying enough for now. Thanks to those leaving comments on the blog – sorry if I don’t always get back to you on time! The blog is going well, but it would be great if more folk on Mastodon, or other parts of the Fediverse got into tooting a Six! Go on, it’s a much kinder form of social media, not controlled by crazy billionaires. 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/. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot

Spring feels like it’s on its way. There has been some mixed weather, grey and windy. For the 3rd time this year we have had to shore-up the laburnum tree again. I hope it survives all the root sway. The mild weather has brought out some blooms, and the frogs. Here’s my early spring #SixOnSaturday.

The frogs, wow, they are going for it this year. We’ve had frog-spawn for a few days now, I’ve counted at least 20 charging about at any one time. A wildlife extravaganza, and just a few steps from the back door. I think I might have caught a pair in the process of delivering the frogspawn.

Some of the winter flowers are still going strong, pieris has been flowering for man weeks now.

And hellebore are nodding away gently in the breeze.

I’m so pleased I planted lots of the tiny winter iris in pots. They look stunning on a sunny morning.

And the newcomers are arriving for spring. A little spray of tete-a-tete mini narcissi are brightening up the courtyard windowsill.

Sheltering from wind and rain in the green house, I love my couple of pots of species tulip. These are tulipa Turkmenistan.

With the frogs serenading my attempts to start a bit of gardening, spring is here now, and I don’t want to miss a moment of it. Thanks to those leaving comments on the blog – sorry if I don’t always get back to you on time! The blog is going well, but it would be great if more folk on Mastodon, or other parts of the Fediverse got into tooting a Six! Go on, it’s a much kinder form of social media, not controlled by crazy billionaires. 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/. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot

It’s the first day of meteorological spring. A sunny day is promised and I’m going to get out and garden for the first time in over 3 months (due to rehabbing new hip). I hope you enjoy my #SixOnSaturday comprising blooms to celebrate the new season.

We’ll start with the soon to finish winter flowers. Crocus are coming to the end of their season, as ever they have provided bursts of hopeful colour through the drab of February.

Much more diminutive is the tiny red male flower at the very top of the luxurious female hazel catkins. Hopefully warmish winds will pollinate and allow hazelnuts to do well in the year ahead.

I could not help myself at the local “Jamesfield Nursery” who are having a primrose festival. I love the frilliness of the runcled flowers on my new primula.

The very first narcissi are in flower. This miniature daffodil sits next to the now glowing pulmonaria. A great combination of pretty flowers and furry foliage.

The first tiny Scilla are coming into bloom. I hope parts of the garden will be a sea of blue soon.

Last but not least, I recommend trying anemone in pots, they seem to flower very early. These ones are so cheerful, growing in a tall metal pot near the greenhouse.

It’s so much like spring now that I don’t want to miss a moment of it. Thanks to those leaving comments on the blog – sorry if I don’t always get back to you on time! The blog is going well, but it would be great if more folk on Mastodon, or other parts of the Fediverse got into tooting a Six! Go on, it’s a much kinder form of social media, not controlled by crazy billionaires. 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/. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot