Awhile back we briefly touched on the colors of the yellow-flowered cultivars or hybrids of Crocus chrysanthus. When I opened the cold frame this morning, I was greeted by the flowers of Crocus ‘Jeannine’. This one has flowers of very pale creamy yellow on the inside of the tepals – and since the flowers in the frame were wide open, that’s the first thing one sees. The exterior of the tepals has a broad wash of purple. This cultivar is a nice contrast to the strong, vibrant oranges and orange-yellows of other Crocus blooming in the cold frame now such as C. korolkowii and its cultivars, C. gargaricus, C. flavus and C. vitellinus. Run of the mill Crocus korolkowii so-to-speak often have an odd color which somehow looks dirty in some light - it has sometimes been described as greenish chrome yellow. The two named cultivars I grow, 'Agalik' and 'Lucky Number' on the other hand have bright clear color. I'm glad to have all of them. This little cold frame has really earned its modest cost. Freesia viridis not only continues to bloom but seems to be setting seed in the frame - while overnight temperatures outside the frame drop below 10ºF. Narcissus cantabricus foliosus, Fritillaria guissichiae, Crocus pestalozzae, Acis tingitana, Ipheion 'Alberto Castillo' and some Galanthus are in bloom. Other Fritillaria are in advanced bud. That's only a few flowers scattered here and there in the cold frame, but it's more than enough to make me happy in mid-February. The several Nerine look hale and healthy as do some Kniphofia, Zephyranthes, Camellia, Cymbidium goeringii, Ceratostigma girffithii and some cuttings of oregano and rosemary being wintered outside. This cold frame is a world unto itself: for nearly half of the year this mere two square yards of space gets the lion's share of my attention. Out in the garden itself, everything short is still encased in ice. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where the weather people say this is the coldest February we’ve had since some time in the 1930s. 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/