Six on Saturday (2 April 2022)

Brrrrr. Last Saturday the sun shone warm and bright as I chopped back this and that and shuffled around that and this in an attempt to restore some order to the one and only border in the front garden. However, I think I’m going to have to don a few extra layers today and perhaps have a mug or two of black coffee before venturing out to plant a new bargain bare rooted rose. Anyway, time for Six on Saturday.

1. Lets start with a tropical Narcissus. Blowsy, yet oddly demur too as the yellow petals mellow with age, I think I plant a pack of ‘Tahiti’ every autumn as I’m not convinced many return for a second spring (possibly a result of careless bulb-splicing digging by the head gardener). I planted 10 more back in November so I might go round and count them all later and see what the overall tally is, once I’ve put on a thick jumper, a fleece, possibly a wooly hat and maybe some gloves.

2. A mere leap-over-the-mini-pond away (if you’re feeling adventurous) you’ll find the Viburnum carlesii ‘Compactum,’ its flower buds poised.

3. We have to take another risky leap back over the mini pond to get to my third SoS (I really didn’t think the order of these Sixes through). Chionodoxa are normally devoured by the slimy plant assassins of the night, but not this spring. The gourmet gastropods appear to be savouring Primula petals instead.

4. Up next, some lightly fragrant Tulip ‘Prince Mixed.’ I only planted up one pot of these this time around which was rather foolhardy. An early flowering variety, I may plonk these in the ground when they’ve finished as the odd few I tried in the ground a few years ago are still coming up.

And look! A bit of colour mutation of the stripey kind.

5. Tulip sylvestris is doing its bendy-stemmed yellowy fragrant flowery thing for a second year running. According to Sarah Raven this wild native tulip will be in the garden for decades once planted. So far so good. I may plant some more in another border come the autumn.

6. And finally… Narcissus ‘Xit’ and before you ask, I don’t know how you pronounce it. I guess it’s either ‘zit’ (which is unfortunate) or ‘exit.’ This is its second spring and I’d forgotten how pretty it was, although, rather like a Hellebore, you have to lift the flowers up or lie on your back to fully appreciate them.

They were my Six on Saturday. For more Sixes on Saturday, from all around the world, take a look at the site of the chap who started it all over at https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com.