Dear All, Like Jennifer I too think this Crocus is very pretty, both the cultivated one and the one in the wild. But I also thought my red Sparaxis with the white flecks in the petals was pretty too and was sad to learn it was virused. I'm eager for aphid control stories too especially if anyone has some reliable ones that don't involve heavy duty poison control. I've used things like pyrola and neem when I first have discovered aphids every year and neither gives as good control as I would like. The neem didn't seem to phase them. The milk pots are an interesting idea. None of the plastic milk cartons I find available are the correct shape. They make good covers for a little early protection from the frost, but they don't have straight sides. I wonder how we could convince the people making them to change the design. I am sure the paper ones wouldn't last long enough to be worth the effort to make the slits. Thanks for sharing. Mary Sue