I attended a gathering of local gardeners yesterday, and a particular theme came up for discussion over and over. This year we are experiencing the most condensed, compacted season of early bloomers most of us can remember. And, since we are already getting daytime highs of 70 degrees F, things are coming and going very quickly. In mid-December I transplanted a clump of blooming snowdrops into one of the cold frames to see if that would make a difference in how long the flowers lasted. Two months later, that clump still had good flowers. The snowdrops in the garden rushed into bloom as soon as the snow melted in early March. Two weeks later most of them are either gone or obviously weather beaten. Many came into bloom during the first flush of warmth, but then deliquesced during the subsequent rain period. Crocuses have been just as fast to come and go. Hundreds of deliciously fragrant flowers have already opened on Magnolia stellata. It’s all happening so fast this year! Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, 39.03871º North, 77.09829º West, USDA zone 7 where Arum hygrophilum might be in bloom any day. 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/