Crocus: ====== After a week and a half of miserable weather... hail, ice, and snow (5" or 12.5 cm) followed by pouring rain, at long last decent weather has returned. The icy layer of hail and snow took it's toll on crocus that were already in flower or in bud, but also reveal those that are more weatherproof than others. The flowers on Crocus sieberi ssp. sublimis 'Tricolor' were decimated by the return of winter, as was C. gargaricus ssp. herbertii, several C. sieberi forms, and other species. But the advantage of planting lots of various crocus species and hybrids is their amazing persistance and span of flowering times. I posted 11 photos of named Crocus chrysanthus selections, fabulous and floriferous weather-proof plants. With but one day of sunshine, they open their goblets to greet the sun. I had never grown C. chrysanthus 'Advance' before, and seeing them for the first time this weekend I gained a new favorite. The flowers are blushed lilac on the exterior, revealing a soft moonlight yellow interior... simply gorgeous! Take a look at the PBS wiki page on Crocus to check out the following C. chrysanthus selections: 'Advance', 'Blue Pearl', 'Goldilocks', 'Prins Claus': http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/… Gymnospermium: ============= Following-up on an earlier discussion on the odd Berberidaceous genus of Gymnospermium, I posted three photos of G. altaicum in flower taken over the last two weeks. Here too, the flowers appear unscathed by the recent return to horrible winter weather, and gently open the little yellow flowers once warmth and sunshine return. http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/… Mark McDonough Pepperell, Massachusetts, United States antennaria@aol.com "New England" USDA Zone 5 ============================================== >> web site under construction - http://www.plantbuzz.com/ << alliums, bulbs, penstemons, hardy hibiscus, western american alpines, iris, plants of all types!