The promise of spring, and a goodbye to some winter stalwarts, this is what my #SixOnSaturday is all about this week. Along with a white-grey-green theme.

First up, it is the last chance to enjoy snowdrops. After some years, my garden has a lovely spread, and even in the shady corners they are beginning to wilt away a little now. See you next year, you tiny peices of winter hope and joy.

I got carried away this winter with a large crocus order, and am very glad I did. The blooms last for weeks and come in a gorgeous range of colours. I’ve only just noticed that these white ones have a few thin little bands of lilac that help set off the bright orange centres.

Late winter and early spring colour is offered by a few large viburnum bushes, and they are doing a grand job of feeding local honey bees, who are out and collecting nector on summy days now.

Spring clematis have got themselves together and are sprouty lots of shoots now. In close up, these have a furry look and feel, pleasing on a sunny morning.

Magnolia stellatar is a little way off yet, but follows right on with the furry feel. This small tree looks like it will have a huge number of flowers this year.

Finally, one of the best early spring flowering shrubs is pieris, also offering a nectar fest, the tiny flowers stand out nicely against a bright blue spring sky.

I hope you enjoyed my celebration of spring picks for #SixOnSaturday this week. 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, its 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 a spring flower special for my #SixOnSaturday this week. I got a bit behind yesterday, seemed to forget it was Friday, hence this week’s blog is a little later than usual. But full of spring promise to celebrate the 2nd day of meteorological spring.

Spring started yesterday and it was also St. David’s day, so it seems appropriate to show off the first shy daffodils in honour of those who celebrate. Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus.

There’s plenty of promise showing now in my extensive collection of garden pots. The red tips on a pot full of tulip buds caught my attention. Rather fascinating.

The first tulips are opening. Not the plush cup-sized one’s we’re used to, but some of the ‘species varieties’ — these are tulipa polychroma, essentially a wild variety, coming from western Turkey. Flowers are small (2cm across) and will open fully if we get some sunshine.

In the greenhouse, this week’s novelty is from an overwintering osteospermum. Coming into flower nicely.

And outside the greenhouse, a wallflower sits prettily against the greenhouse wall.

Last, but by no means least, a pot of crocus mixed with pom-pom primula seems to give a spring-like wave whenever i poke my head into the garden.

I hope you enjoyed my celebration of spring picks for #SixOnSaturday this week. 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, its 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

24th February. It’s my Mom’s 84th birthday, and I’m too imobile to travel right now, so I sent her a huge bunch of scented daffs from the Scilly Isles to celebrate. That also makes it 2 years since the Ukraine War started. My #SixOnSaturday will feature some yellow and blue flowers, as well as hints of spring from the greenhouse.

The best of blue comes with iris reticulata. Got to love them, here another lovely specimen from one of my many pots, lovely with a few raindrops.

Last week’s pom-pom primula bud is starting to show a little colour, another lovely blue is arriving.

The very first of my tiny tete-a-tete daffodil have arrived in the window boxes.

Into the greenhouse, some tiny little lemons seem to have made it through the winter.

I have overwintered a few little plants that didn’t quit make it to the garden in autumn. A couple of chard are doing well. They will probably bolt before they get big, but maybe there will be enough for dinner from this pair.

Not sure yet whether these little pak choi seedlings, which will have a red-veined leaf, will be grown as early spring greens in the cosy greenhouse, or whether they will go outside at the end of March. Time will tell. Excited to see the stems looking a little red too.

I hope you enjoyed my ‘are we at the end of winter yet?’ picks for #SixOnSaturday this week. 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, its 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

Some unseasonal warmth has finally arrived, 10 deg C in the garden, up to 12 in the greenhouse. Even a day of warmth and low winds is making everything live a little faster. Here are a few garden delights that got thoughts of spring going this week for #SixOnSaturday. What isn’t quite over are the snowdrops, so I’ll start with a few of them. I planted just a few a decade ago in this border and they have naturalised nicely.

My favourite hellebore has appeared already in #SixOnSaturday this season, but I just want to sit and look at it all day, what a joy. Here you go, you can too.

Hazel catkins are in flower today, even the tiny red female flower is out, above the 4th-from left male flower.

Drumstick primulas will be while, their buds are amazing, they look like some alien egg is lurking under those early leaves.

Some friends gave me a sorbia sorbifolia a few years ago. They have huge ones at their house by the coast. 20 miles inland, I think we’re close to being a bit too cold. This one is alive and kicking so far though, fabulous dual-coloured early foliage.

And finally, with today’s sun the croci spread their petals wide. The first bees of the year were out enjoying their nectar. I’m rather pleased I caught this one ‘bathing’ in nectar.

I hope you enjoyed my ‘still wintery yet dreaming of spring’ picks for #SixOnSaturday this week. 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, its 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 is that time of year when sometimes it’s lovely out, sometimes awful. So being stuck inside after a medical procedure this week hasn’t been too much of a restriction. Before that, I nipped out occasioanlly to take a look, and had a little forage in the greenhouse for this week’s #SixOnSaturday.

First up are the start of the late winter flowers. A few crocus have popped up, but something keeps nipping off the flowers. Is it a naughty blackbird, or even a cheeky little red squirrel? I have no idea. This clump has managed to keep a few flowers.

Even more exciting, a lonely little anemone is the first of her kind to brave the elements this year.

I pruned back some budlija weeks ago, as the really high winds were causing them to rock. This one thinks it’s spring, is budding well, though you can see frost damage on the delicate new leaves.

I very often overlook this plant in summer, and forget that it keeps itself going all through winter. Celmisia looks lovely just now, set against the rough browns of the rest of the winter border.

Into the greenhouse now for a colourful forage. I forgot to plant out a tray of radicchio in autumn, so popped into pots in the greenhouse. They are growing VERY slowly, maybe another month and there will be enough to make a mushroom-radicchio lasagne. I’m looking forward to it already.

To be eaten sooner are a few winter pak choi. I managed a few of these in the greenhouse last winter too. Very pleased with how these are looking.

I hope you enjoyed my wintery picks for #SixOnSaturday this week. 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, its 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

The season is turning. I noticed light in the sky as I drove home from work the other night. Colour is coming back to the garden, mostly tiny little pops of colour. Here are some of them, I’m going to start this month’s #SixOnSaturday with February Flowers.

This weeks most lovely discovery is the early flowering of tiny winter iris. The windowbox must be warmer than the garden, even though it gets no sun at this time of year. What lushious colour!

I wish I could somehow display the wonderful smell that sarccococus give off. The little flowers are fascinating when viewed close-up, but the smell is rich and almost lily-like.

My favourite hellobore is tricky to see as he nods his little head down. A view from slight below does him justice.

Tiny winter lovliness is now appearing in the woodland borders. Aconites offer such a cheery yellow against the brown of old sticks and leaves.

Pulmonaria have just pushed out their first few flowers too. Not many yet, but perhaps enough to feed the first few hungry bees when they appear (I haven’t seen any yet).

The best blooms of winter, almost at their peak now. Snowdrops of course. This close up shows the beautiful green stripe detail near the outer ends of the shorter petals. And I didn’t notice until looking more closely, there’s a slightly out of focus fly, possibly enjoying the nectar?

I hope you enjoyed my winter blooms for #SixOnSaturday this week. 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, its 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

The last weekend in January has come, bringing the light with it. Even when I’m driven in from the garden by cold winds and squally rain, the sun is still up until 4.30pm now……feels better. This week, I’ve managed to go mostly green for my #SixOnSaturday, and include a couple of proper winter flowers. It was fun to collect some garden colour, even though quite a bit of it comes from the greenhouse this week.

I’ll start with the very best of the season, witch hazel is now in full bloom, a strange but lovely shrub.

Now for the greens. As I strode in from the drive towards the greenhouse, some wonderful moss on one of the old apple trees caught my eye, looking almost lurid in the low sunlight.

And then into the greenhouse. A small lemon tree avoiding the frosts does look a little lacking in nutrients, yet the yellow veining is a compelling pattern. Are the tiny white spots just pores? i think so.

Summer geranium usually make it through by spending 3 months in the greenhouse too. This one is enjoying a sunny January morning.

The last greenhouse green is a little experiment. A California poppy did really well for me in a pot (they don’t self-seed well, I fear its too cold and wet over winter), so it has the treat of a greenhouse winter. So far, so good.

Last, but not at all least, back in the borders I’ve managed to clear away last years dead stuff, to find snow drops emerging and bursting into bloom.

I hope you enjoyed my mostly green, hopeful #SixOnSaturday this week. 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, its 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

The cold snap has gone, we’re expecting dangerous winds tomorrow. There’s not much incentive to get into the garden. But I struggled out to find six lovely things. here’s my #SixOnSaturday.

The first is a bit of a cheat. Some daffs seemed to be coming up a bit quickly, so I moved the pot into the greenhouse. Here’s a cute little January daffodil.

On a bright, sunny afternoon, the light caught the structure in a twisty hazel tree.

I’ve been pleased to see some signs of spring. Furry magnolia buds are coming.

Sempervivum, I’m never sure what they are for, but on a cold winter windowsill, they do at least look to be thriving, hanging in there waiting for less harsh days.

I have a witch hazel hiding in a shady corner. We really must be approaching the lighter days, it is just about to flower.

Last, but not least, something green. Somehow, parsley seems to be surviving the winter storms.

That’s my #SixOnSaturday for this week. Join the sixes on Mastodon or other instances in the Fediverse via #SixOnSaturday, 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 the former birdsite, for those who must: @JamesLStephens. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot

If you squint a bit, and it’s a clear afternoon, it really does feel now like those nights are drawing out, at least a bit. And there are some signs of new growth in the garden and in the greenhouse. Here’s a hopeful #SixOnSaturday, showcasing a great mix of colour and form in my winter garden.

First, take a look at some random bulb growth showing some cheer in the long-light before sunset. These could be daffs, but I suspect they are probably Spanish bluebells.

At the other end of the garden, wallflower are blooming. I like the fact that this variety have both yellow and red buds/flowers.

Buds are starting to bulge now, here are some soft camellia buds against those gorgeous shiny leaves.

I keep myself sane through winter by trying a few things in the greenhouse. This year radicchio are having a go. There’s not much growth since November, but they are alive and their intricate colours are a treat.

Despite the frost and the shady location, sarcococca are flowering, and producing a surprisingly strong, sweet (almost too sweet for me) fragrance. I will bring a few stems into the house for a vase, let’s see if we can cope with their scent indoors.

Last, but not least, my favourite hellebore is now in bud, this is going to be a lovely dark purple flower…looking forward to it.

That’s my #SixOnSaturday for this week. Join the sixes on Mastodon or other instances in the Fediverse via #SixOnSaturday, 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 the former birdsite, for those who must: @JamesLStephens. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot

A New Year, with enough rain in the first week to fill January! Luckily, there were a few bright times for a nip out into the garden. I had a good look around to find what’s bringing garden joy as the year begins. Here are my favourites for #SixOnSaturday

My gardening year starts in the first week of January with a ritual sowing of the first chilli seeds. You can see them being sown in the greenhouse, but they will come into a base-heated propagator in the warm house, before graduating to a warm windowsill for many weeks to come.

I would not have bet that the first decent flower I saw this year was a primrose, but here are 3 shivering little blooms in a sheltered corner.

Some of my flower beds will need to be cut back very soon, rather than waiting for their usual spring haircut. Seemed like a good time to enjoy the last of the fennel seed heads.

Over the last few years i have come to love hardy geranium. Even in the gloom of winter the plants are stealing themselves for the year ahead. Bring on spring!

Looking back up towards the sky, hazel catkins are budding.

Last but not least, no flowers yet, despite the mild wet weather, but there is promise in a little clump of snowdrops, they are on their way.

That’s my #SixOnSaturday for this week. Who knows what the climate situation will bring us this year? Whatever it is, I hope you don’t experience too many disruptions to personal circumstances. Join the sixes on Mastodon or other instances in the Fediverse via #SixOnSaturday, 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 the former birdsite, for those who must: @JamesLStephens. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot