Spring is “officially” here in zone 7 Montgomery County, Maryland. Well, it’s here according to my criterion: the spring peepers (tiny frogs about the size of an almond) were in full chorus on March 9. Daytime temperatures had gone up well above 60º F. and there had been a long, slow rain – perfect conditions for a peeper chorus. Flocks of dozens of robins can be seen on local fields. And in the cold frame Fritillaria liliacea is blooming. The recent cold snap did a lot more damage in the open garden than I at first realized. Close examination of some newly opened reticulate irises shows lots of mechanical damage. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where Paeonia tenuifolia has just poked up a bit. My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/