I love those purple dwarf irises, woodyoak! I finally ordered some (to be delivered this fall) as I've admired them for some time. I hope they, and your other flowers, weather the ice storm. I have daffodils sprouting and budding, but nothing else. I can't remember such relentless cold weather ever before.

delphinium - can't remember which variety noid herbaceous peonies 'beacon silver' lamium mini hostas - several types noid pink azalea & 'Alba' bleeding hearts: blooming now: noid Lupines Not yet blooming: 'Midnight Prairie Blues' baptisia - buds are up, but not yet open Baby oriental lilies scattered throughout the bed 'Sweet Kate' tradescantia noid tall bearded irises Orange rhododendron (can't remember the variety) 'Empress wu' hosta - sooo slow growing. This one is 4 years old +. Does anyone else have experience with Empress Wu & is yours slow-growing as well?

Seil, those are beautiful! I got my first very recently as well! Monday, March 9! These are always my first to come up every year, and they have even bloomed in February here in my South Michigan Z5b garden. I believe them to be Iris reticulata and they are so very blue! I need snowdrops and croci as well. I've gone ahead and pruned all of my roses since they're beginning to stir as well! Steven

(Going over the edge here:) Jackie, I don't recognize your other daffodil, but would certainly like to know what it is. Common feral daffodils in my area are forms of what I think are Narcissus pseudonarcissus, running to two main types, one smaller and earlier than the other, and with a slightly proportionally longer trumpet, both all yellow; and what looks like the old double 'Van Sion'. Poet's narcissus grows wild but is uncommon, but last spring I saw substantial plantings of it in two yards, both blooming like mad. I planted it down in the woods, where it increases but doesn't flower. For garden types, 'Thalia', an old white Triandrus kind, is wonderful, durable and beautiful; and I have an elegant narcissus I planted years ago that I suspect is 'Aircastle', that has increased and been lovely in really bad soil. Others I have at least some success with: Jonquil 'Sweetness'; an old favorite; 'Palmares', the only split trumpet daffodil I like; 'February Gold' and 'Jetfire', both Cyclamineous hybrids; little 'Hawera', another Triandrus; and one that's been lasting and increasing for a few years that I think is 'Sailboat'. In conditions like mine, where the soil is so poor, very heavy, blasted by drought in the summer, it's hard to know whether a variety is done in by its own unsuitability or by unmanageable conditions. I used to think daffodils were an impossible dream for me, like magnolias, but I've gotten more optimistic. P.S. Actually, it's possible that I may have your mystery daffodil. I found a clump of feral daffodils last year that looked similar; dug a few and planted them along with my larger feral Pseudonarcissus type, as I had seen done in a nearby garden (always ready to steal a good idea). Not much bloom this year so I don't have a good picture of the variety in my head, but if I remember right it was a two-toned yellow with a small cup, fairly tall.