Hello and welcome to my weekly blog about the extra time I have been able to spend in my garden during these strange times of being paid by the government to stay at home.

When I wrote the title of this week blog I was shocked to discover it was we are about to enter week 5. Time at the moment seems to be disjointed and it is difficult to get a grip on simple things like what day it is and sometimes even what month. Perhaps this is because I have my garden and I can take my mind off what is going and I can live in my own little bubble. My garden has never been so organised so much so I am having to find things what to do that will take up large chunks of my time so I have a bit of structure in my day.

This weeks mini blog features Tulips which seems to be having a good year this year. They always bring cheer to a garden and especially this year during these extraordinary times.

1. Tulip Esprit

I featured these in my Six on Saturday last week when they were just about to open. As you can see the have opened and they do look fantastic. The serrated edges draw your eyes to the mixture of red, orange and yellow colours that catch your eyes from a distance. They really do look like a painting. I will be growing this one for years to come. The most surprising thing about these Tulips are they did not flower last year so I planted them direct into the garden this year and it has paid off dividends.

2. Tulip Golden Dynasty

As some of you may know by reading my Six on Saturday I always seem to have problems with ordering bulbs and the wrong ones are sent out. This seems to be a common occurrence amongst them all. This one is supposed to be Golden Dynasty but it looks nothing like the photo’s on the intern at the moment. The ones on the web have a few shades of yellow running through the petals and even a bit of orange. Also the shape of the flower head looks different. Perhaps they’ll look different in a few days time and I may be proved wrong.

3. Tulip Antarctica

This one is another new one for this year and it is turning into a super variety. It has lovely white and slightly cream flowers that are in a almost black stalk that created a striking contrast. This is the type of flower you would expect to see in a photo shoot of a Hollywood’s stars lavish house and you know have spent a fortune on the flower arrangements just for the photo shoot . Another one I am going to probably keep growing for the foreseeable future.

That’s it for this week. I hope you have enjoyed it. Until next Thursday goodbye.