Temperatures have been seasonably moderate here for the last few days. Mot of the snow has melted except in the really shady areas. I took a walk through the garden today to survey the damage. Hellebores in general suffered a bit, especially those which were well along before the arrival of the last cold spell. Those snowdrops which were in bloom before the arrival of the nasty weather seem in general to have weathered well except for a few in very exposed sites. The winter aconites simply seem to have hunkered down for the duration; now they are again smiling at the sun. In short, there were some minor losses but no major tragedies. The sweet violets, which share a cold frame with the Parma violets and some odds and ends, are starting to bloom - that makes it easy to think up excuses to open that frame for a check. The Parma violets are budded but not yet in bloom. The little protected cold frame I've been mentioning recently continues to be a source of daily interest. Some more crocuses have joined the show: C. minimus, C. dalmaticus, and C. sieberi sublimus have joined the others now in bloom. Narcissus jonquilla henriquesii is blooming and scenting that corner of the garden. Fritillaria bucharica and F. raddeana are more or less in full bloom; again this year the flowers of F. raddeana are all upright at this stage. If things go as they did last year, they will begin to hang later as the stem elongates. F. gusicchiae is a bit past its prime, and F. liliacea has turned its one bud downward. The superficially similar (in plant habit) forms of F. biflora have not kept pace with F. liliacea and are still low with their buds deep down in the leaf rosettes. Fritillaria acmopetala wendelboi is far enough along to make out the color pattern on the buds, yet typical F. acmopetala is not yet even above ground. Out in the open garden, Iris rosenbachiana has another flower out - this is the second flower for this plant. The first one opened weeks ago and was quickly destroyed by the weather. Crocus korolkowii, C. ancyrensis and C. etruscus 'Zwanenburg' are also blooming. The reticulate iris 'Lady Beatrix Stanley' is showing color. I mentioned in an earlier post that an Eremurus (nominally E. robustus) put up a big sprout last fall. I carefully covered this with a pot of soil, and I'm happy to report that when I checked it today it was fine. This sprout is about three inches across, so I'm expecting great things of it. Tree peony buds are swelling, but all the herbaceous peonies are still sound asleep. All of this is of course only a fraction of what's on the way, and with relatively mild weather predicted for the week ahead, I won't be bored. What is everyone else seeing? Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7. where auroral bird song is significantly more varied and persistent now. 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/