First Crocuses of Spring 2017 — Color Returns to the Garden
After the long brown stretch of a Wisconsin winter, the first flowers to push up out of the cold ground are the crocuses — and on April 4th, 2017, mine were finally open and showing off.
These striped purple-and-white blooms with the glowing orange centers are a welcome sight. They come up while everything around them is still bare dirt and dead leaves, which makes the color pop even more. Tucked in among them are a few little blue Siberian squill just starting to open too — another tough little flower that doesn’t seem to mind a late cold snap.
The crocuses don’t last long — a week or two and they’re gone — but they’re the first sign the green is on its way back. When these are blooming, you know winter has finally let go.
? When can you plant where you live?
I built a free little tool for exactly this question — The Garden Almanac. Type in your ZIP code and it gives you your USDA hardiness zone, your average last and first frost dates, and a planting calendar tuned to your spot — when to start seeds, set out transplants, and sow. It runs right in your browser, no account needed. Find your frost dates & planting calendar →
