Roger Whitlock wrote: "Haarlem Gem is very similar in coloring to Vanguard, but considerably smaller; more the size of a chrysanthus cultivar than one of the big blowsy vernus ones. I've had it for years, and believe what I have is The Real Thing." Roger, it would be great if you could post a picture of this cultivar. I was hoping someone might pick up on another aspect of my new crocus post. Last summer I received a crocus from Jane McGary under the name 'Yalta'. Later on, I discovered a package of this same 'Yalta' for sale in a local shop. Jane's plant bloomed two weeks ago here and is similar to the crocus whose image I posted. At first I wondered if a squirrel had moved one of the newly acquired crocus 'Yalta'. But I counted corms and all are accounted for. So my self-sown crocus is apparently just that. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where the air is moist and sweet with the fragrance of Magnolia stellata and the aromas of soil and new vegetation , the birds and peepers are singing, flowers are blooming: everything is in place for a perfect spring day. 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/