The big Dutch crocus are blooming in the garden today, and as I go from clump to clump I find myself really blown away with just how beautiful they are. I realize that in the past there has been a tendency on the part of some participants of this forum to look down on the big Dutch crocus. But when I see these flowers in their fresh perfection, it’s hard for me to understand why anyone would not like them. And you certainly get your money’s worth with these. Some of the flowers I admired today, some huge white-flowered sorts, have been in place for decades. Thirty or thirty-five years ago I planted a thousand corms in the front lawn. Over the years, part of what used to be lawn became beds for perennials. The crocus in the lawn disappeared long ago, but those in the spaces which became beds for perennials have persisted handsomely. Looking at them all today, I could not decide if I liked best the solid purples, the striped ones or the white ones. There are several purples here and at least two distinct striped ones; the whites are perhaps all the same. The flowers are as large as those of small tulips, and on these first few days of blooming they are wonderfully fresh and beautiful. The purple ones are so glossy - they look as if they had been lacquered. The whites could be Colchicum speciosum ‘Album’. I think the two striped ones here are Pickwick and King of the Striped. Pickwick is striped on all tepals, the King only on alternate petals (although the color pattern in this one seems unstable). Everything about them is so smart and crisp! Also blooming are plants of my old stock ‘Vanguard’. This is another favorite. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, 39.03871º North, 77.09829º West, USDA zone 7 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/