Galanthus elwesii is beginning to bloom in the lawn here in USDA zone 7 Maryland. These plants in the lawn are scattered and don't show up very much. On the other hand, on December 18, 2009, I dug a clump of what I call my Christmas snowdrop and planted the clump - in full bloom - in one of the cold frames. I did this because a heavy snow fall was predicted. Now, over a month later, this plant is still in full bloom and is very handsome: no complaints here about that! In one of the cold frames given over to pots of seed sown in November there are already many signs of germination. It's always interesting to observe the patterns of these germinations. For instance, Tulipa cretensis is germinating strongly, yet several other species of Tulipa show no signs of germination yet. Fritillaria tuntasia is germinating strongly, yet so far it's the only species of that genus to show germination. Iris dichotoma is germinating freely, but other members of that genus are still quiet. Several Allium are germinating, others are still. Various umbellifers and crucifers are germinating freely, too. There is still snow on the ground from the December 18 snowfall, but most of it has by now melted. Helleborus foetidus and various Hamamelis are in bloom. It's still winter in the open garden, but in the protected cold frame Narcissus bulbocodium pallidus has been blooming for about two weeks or so. In fact, this year there has been a Narcissus of one sort or another in bloom since September. I'm getting close to the point where it will be possible to have various representatives of the genera Galanthus, Crocus, Cyclamen, Narcissus and maybe even Iris more or less continuously in bloom from mid-fall well into late winter in the protected cold frame. With the addition of some Primula acaulis and Helleborus niger, it makes for a very cheery winter season. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, 39.03871º North, 77.09829º West, USDA zone 7, where a red fox has been visiting the garden. 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/