On 12 Feb 2009, at 16:58, Dell Sherk wrote: > Here in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA, Zone 6/7, I have sighted two > Galanthus sp? flowers and one Eranthis hiemalis. Any sign of spring at this > time is welcome! The earliest flowering clumps among the eranthis here are starting to go over; the flowers develop a brownish coloration and lose their get up and go. Lots of snowdrops and Cyclamen coum, though the latter seem not to be as numerous as in the past. I suspect they need a fairly high light level, at least in spring, and I'd let some trees and shrubs grow and throw too deep a shade over them. As for when spring arrives, Feb 14 is the magic date here. By then, if we haven't had seriously cold weather, we are unlikely to get it. I'm busy preparing seed for sowing, and organizing flats of pots pre-filled with suitable soil mixes. First time in some years I've done any serious seed sowing! Another data point: Chaenomeles 'Rinho' (usually called 'Contorta') is not in flower yet and it's the earliest flowering quince I have. It has been a chilly winter, though not desperately cold except for a couple of weeks in late December. But Lonicera x standishii is modestly in flower. -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate on beautiful Vancouver Island http://maps.google.ca/maps/…