This is the first year that I have managed to get fall-blooming crocus established in my garden and it has had a surprisingly powerful emotional impact. Born and raised in a much colder zone, Crocus and miniature Iris were the first flowers of spring. To see them emerging, often in the middle of snow, was an event I looked forward to even as a small child. Seeing these fall blooms has resulted in a similar lifting of my spirits, even though I live in a comparatively balmy climate with numerous plants still in bloom. Kathy Stokmanis Sunset zone 7, seems more like 8 or 9. My first Nerine is in bloom and took me completely by surprise because it somehow got into a huge pot with unrelated plants. What a gift plants are.