Iris stolonifera began to bloom yesterday when the day time high was over 80 degrees F. Some tall forms of Iris hoogiana should bloom on the next sunny days. We have had many days over 80 degrees F already, and as a result lots of plants have rushed into bloom. Many tree peonies are already in full bloom - in fact, the earliest ones have already dropped all of their petals; others have not yet started. The tulips we traditionally think of as May-flowering tulips are already in bloom and passing. Double late tulips do not last long in the heat. In the bulb frames, the general foliage color is passing to sickly greens and yellows: some have died down for the year already. For instance, the frits of the Rhinopetalum group are quitting for the year. A cold front came through with rain overnight, and today it is about 30 degrees colder and wet. The second half of April here is dryer and often much warmer than you would think is typical for April. May on the other hand tends to be wetter and cooler - an effect made more pronounced with the leafing out of deciduous trees. The comparatively wetter conditions in May are one of the several complications in growing bulbs here: it would be much better if the bulbs matured into dry conditions. As May progresses, it gets hotter, too: hot, damp soil are not good bulb maturing conditions. Here's my take on juno irises under my conditions: some are tricky, but there are plenty of easy ones. Junos received under the names magnifica, vicaria, rosenbachiana, aucheri, zenaidae, bucharica, orchioides are all easy as long is they have dry summer conditions. Winters here are generally cold enough to obviate the foliage disease problems reported in other areas. I suspect that the bad reputation they have is largely due to the influence of the literature: junos can be difficult under British conditions for instance, and generations of American gardeners have turned to Britain for guidance. There are plants which I have trouble with here, plants I have not yet figured out how to grow, but the juno irises common and inexpensive in commerce are not among them. I've never tried Iris planifolia (I suspect that I would have no trouble with it in my protected cold frame). Nor have I had success with the members of what I'll broadly call the persica group. But for anyone in a similar climate who wants to add a new dimension to their iris patch, there are plenty of easy junos to try. Fritillaria biflora forms shot up into bloom last week. The scapes suddenly elongated and the flower buds suddenly started to grow and open. F. recurva is also in bloom: I should be very happy about this, but this plant somehow does not seem to be taking to life in Maryland well. Arum cyrenaicum is in bloom also now. I received this under this name and also as A. korolkowii. These both have the protection of cold frames (one protected, one out in the open); I have no idea how well the winter growing foliage would fare in the open. I momentarily bristled when I read Jane McGary's report that Arum italicum is thought of as a trash plant in her area. But of course location is everything in gardening, and here in zone 7 Maryland somebody else's trash is a cherished element of the winter garden. In most local gardens it's the only link to the genus Arum, because many other winter growing species are not reliably hardy in the open garden over time. In the mountains of Chile, Tecophilaea is evidently little better than trash to the local livestock industry. As I mature as a gardener, I'm still trying hard to learn to genuinely appreciate what I already have and to cut back on the seemingly insatiable acquisition and preoccupation with plants really better suited to other climates. [One or two of you will soon be receiving orders which will suggest that my resolve in these matters is less than firm; please be professional about this and keep it to yourself.] But like so many of you, I have to kill it myself to be convinced. The view from our front door is of three Magnolia stellata in their early maturity; these are underplanted with broad masses of Helleborus foetidus. This is my favorite hellebore, and it's another plant widely regarded as a trash plant. I have no idea what people make of my garden: beside the abundant trash there are things such as Asphodelus acaulis, Hacquetia epipactis, oncos, cyps and the "Jane McGary east" collection of obscure bulbs. It really is a garden where one man's trash is another man's treasure: and depending on where your home garden is, you might have a hard time deciding which is which. And while the Tecophilaea here are not likely to be grazed by cattle, they might be nibbled by deer if I'm not careful. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, 39.03871º North, 77.09829º West, USDA zone 7, where some Babiana, Freesia and African Ornithogalum are finally about to bloom after being in growth all winter. My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ BLOG! http://mcwort.blogspot.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/