John, Eranthis hyemalis is among my favorite plants. They are wonderful used alone in quantity; and a traditional combination is that of Eranthis hyemalis and common snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis. But I should warn you of some potential problems. First of all, especially if you plant to purchase in quantity, try to get assurances from your supplier that they will supply the one you want. In my limited experience, orders for Eranthis hyemalis frequently bring Eranthis cilicicus (note the spelling, I think anthis has officially been changed to masculine). As garden plants, these have important differences. E. hyemalis blooms earlier and under my conditions persists and spreads. E. cilicicus blooms later, does not spread and seems to eventually die out. Of course, it may perform differently under your conditions. E. cilicicus tends to have larger flowers on taller "stems", and typically has dark bronze "stems" which contrast nicely with the flowers. In our area, E. hyemalis can be very early - if you know where to look, the yellow buds can sometimes be seen very early in the year, although full flowering waits for a spell of clement weather. E. cilicicus on the other hand peaks weeks later. In either case, get the little tubers as early as possible and soak them immediately upon arrival. If you can't plant them immediately, spread them out on the ground in a shady place. Back in the bad old days, losses among these tubers were high. But I've read that growers now treat them with horticultural wax to help keep them from dessication. (Can anyone confirm that?). Rabbits will not bother Eranthis. But they will mow down any crocus above ground. The crocus selections you mention are standard, good varieties. I wouldn't want to be without those, but if I were planting a new place, the one I would want above all other late winter flowering crocus is Crocus tommasinianus. This is nothing like the cultivar you mention (Ruby Giant). Plain old Crocus tommasinianus is one of the most beautiful crocus I know: the outside of the flower is silvery, and the inside is rich amethyst. When the flowers are closed in the morning, especially if it is a frosty morning, they are not conspicuous. But when they start to open, the intense amethyst of the inside is revealed and the effect is wonderful. This one seeds itself around freely, and sometimes one sees it spread through a nice patch of lawn in old gardens. And that reminds me: the best way to get either Eranthis hyemalis or plain old Crocus tommasinianus is to get them from other gardeners. Each is easy if slow from seed. The Eranthis seed is ripe in this area in late April (the third week in most years); the Crocus seed is ripe in mid-May. For a fall blooming crocus, the one to have is Crocus speciosus. It comes in a white variety, but the "blue" ones are wonderful in a mass. They also seed around unobtrusively. Ask your supplier for prices per thousand. : ) Crocus kotschyanus is widely available; some forms are lovely, some not worth having. All are such a pale opalescent pinkish white that they do not make much of an impression in masse, but they are lovely to look at close at hand. Little Crocus ochroleucus blooms here around Thanksgiving. You mention Crocus sativus: most of us don't find this one to be very free flowering, but its fragrance earns it a spot in this garden. There are lots of other fall-blooming crocus, and all are lovely or at least interesting. But Crocus speciosus is the one to start with, and if you never get beyond that one, you have already seen the best the genus has to offer for the autumn. As for companion plants, lots of Arum italicum and Helleborus foetidus give the garden a deceptively green and growing look throughout the winter here, and should work in your zone 5 OH garden. You might want to consider Cyclamen coum and C. hederifolium - check with local growers to see if they do well in that part of OH. Another nice little one is Scilla bifolia. Puschkinia and Chionodoxa are reliable, too, but maybe too late for what you have in mind. Garden hellebores too are a good choice for providing very early flower color. Sorry, I'm wandering. One final comment: if you've been reading those English books which celebrate the pleasures of the winter garden, get a grip. They are not for us. In short, nothing blooms during frozen periods of lock down, although the plants mentioned above will tough it out and be there to pop into action when the milder weather returns. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@starpower.net Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where in many years the winter garden is a thing more likely to be desired than to be actually enjoyed.