Each spring I wait with anticipation for the unveiling.
Our region had been experiencing sub-zero temperatures, and unfortunately there was no snowpack to insulate the ground from the extreme cold.
I had covered my garden beds with evergreen boughs to provide some winter protection for the plants.
Now it was finally time to remove the boughs, and I was eagerly hoping to see something green and growing underneath.
Winter can seem interminable here in the upper Midwest, and it is so hard to wait for spring! But I know from experience that by early to mid-March, under those boughs new life would be emerging. Temperatures had been creeping upward, along with longer hours of sunlight and a gradually warming sun.
And as sure as spring follows winter, once again new life emereges from the recently frozen ground, bringing with it hope, along with its tiny green sprouts. They're here! Crocuses! And if you look closely, you can see a white stripe on every little leaf!
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And then there's the flowers!
The Flowers! They shine with such beauty in the warming sun! This little garden bed area outside of our back door is a "microclimate", with southerly exposure and protection from the northwesterly winds that usher in the bitter cold.
This cluster of crocuses is the first to bloom in my yard every year!
Although I currently have only purple spring blooming crocuses in my gardens, they also come in lovely golden yellow and pure white varieties -- as well as some tantilizing bicolor varieties that are also available.
Scientific name: Crocus vernus
Common name: Spring crocus
Plant type: Corms
Bloom time: Early spring
Height: 4-6" tall
Spread: 3-6" spread
Hardiness zone: 3-8
Crocuses, like many spring blooming bulb plants, require a period of cold temperatures to 'force' them into coming out of their corm 'shell'. This pre-chilling requires about 10 weeks of being exposed to temps below 45 degrees Farenheit.
