I have always wondered what it was about my garden that makes it produce slow-to-flower crocus. Light level? Drainage? My neighbours across the street always have their patches of lawns full of small, light purple blooms even before my crocus begin to flower. It can't be the light level because we face the same direction.

Then, as I was flipping through my gardening books (getting ready ya know), I read that the smaller species crocus bloom several weeks before hybrid crocus. AH HA! Now, I can cross that off my list of "Things to Ponder" (the list is unrelentingly long). So next fall, I shall purchase many species crocus so I can have even earlier blooms to enjoy. Oh, and I like those stripey purple and white ones too, I think they are called "PickWick". Oh, and some of those really large white crocus, "Jeanne d' Arc"; they look so snowy and clean. I can't believe I am making a shopping list for the fall, but if I don't make a note of it now, I will definitely forget in half-a-year.