When it happens, it happens all at once. Today it

is official and spring is here, and my first flowers beat it by a whole day.

I returned home from pruning about 5:00 yesterday afternoon and the Winter Aconite were everywhere. Not only the plant I’d been watching and waiting to open all week, but half a dozen others as well. Eranthis hyemalis is one of the earliest rock garden plants to bloom. I have been trying to establish a colony for several years now, but despite repeated plantings only a single plant has ever come up. Apparently the bulbs I planted last fall, which I soaked overnight before planting, did much better than previous batches which I had not soaked. When they come in the mail they resemble large, very dried up raisins. I asked the supplier about any special directions and she suggested that it might help to soak them before planting but they didn’t normally suggest it. It seems to have done the trick because they are in most of the places I remember planting them.

The other surprise was that one of my tiny yellow species crocus was blooming. Barely two inches tall these have become one of my favorites since I planted several "unknown" bulbs almost ten years ago. Since then I have seen them gradually establish a small colony that has spread out into the lawn, and shown up in surprising places as the seed has spread.