Species Crocus, Snow Crocus, Early Crocus, Tommasini's Crocus

In the race to be the first flower of the new year, this is always neck-and-neck with common snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) and Adonis amu...Read Morerensis. Sometimes as early as Valentine's Day in mild winters, but more often the first week of March (here in Boston Z6a).

Silver-gray on the outside when closed, it discloses varying shades of pale violet when it exposes its interior to the sun.

It increases well both by offsets and by seed. Some even claim to find it weedy. It does well in lawns if the first spring mowing is delayed till the foliage begins to die down.

Said to be less attractive to critters than other crocus, though my squirrels must not read the same reference books I do. I've taken to tacking down hardware cloth over new plantings.