Various forms of eranthis, the winter aconite. * the usual bright yellow form * an orange tinged form I received as seed under the name 'aurantiaca'. Comes true from seed. * a group of doubles derived from the Gothenberg Botanic Garden. I don't know if I still have the original clone, but if it's lost, double seedlings fill the gap. * a hybrid between E. hyemalis and E. cilicia with darkish foliage and an especially bright, almost glittering flower. This is not the cultivar 'Golden Guinea'. (E. cilicia is no longer considered a distinct species, but from a horticultural point of view is distinct from the more usual eranthis grown.) * 'Moonlight' a paler yellow than the usual form; not a strong grower, but it's holding its own and looks ready for division this year. * 'Pauline', another pale yellow. A very weak grower that barely escaped destruction in 2011 during construction work. Moonlight and Pauline are quite similar in flower, but Pauline gives the impression of being a little paler and having slightly more noticeable pencilling on the petals than Moonlight. Snowdrops. Cyclamen coum. Iris unguicularis. Crocus sieberi. Iris 'Katherine Hodgkin'. Mandragora officinarum will be flowering in a few weeks. -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Z. 7-8, cool Mediterranean climate