The crocus season continues here in Maryland. I was away for the weekend, but before leaving I noticed that Crocus biflorus melantherus was blooming. It joins Crocus medius, C. longiflorus, C. pulchellus in a white-flowered form, C. thomasii, C. sativus, C. serotinus salzmannii and C. oreocreticus. If that nice list of names conjures up images of thick clumps of flowers and abundant bloom, think again: most of these are represented by just a few plants and the display, while interesting at this time of year, is hardly eye-catching. So far, there is no sign of Crocus ochroleucus or C. laevigatus yet this year. The freshest green in the garden now comes from clumps of Arum italicum. Numerous other aroids are leafing out now in the cold frame, too. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7 where a hard freeze took a deep bite out of the garden the other night. 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/