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Crocuses in bloom on Broadway. Photo by Mary Walton

By Mary Walton

Every spring my mother used to chant, “The season’s first crocus has bloomed in Ho-Ho-Kus.” She grew up in South Dakota, and we never lived in New Jersey. I have no idea where she learned that little verse. It doesn’t seem to turn up on the Internet, although the Andrew Sisters rhymed “crocus” and “Ho-Ho-Kus” in a 1948 ditty.

Be that as it may, the first crocuses have bloomed in Ocean Grove, and likely in Ho-Ho-Kus as well, three to four weeks ahead of schedule. Early species of daffodils are also flaunting their colors.

What gives?

As you might suppose, the unusually warm winter accounts for the appearance of these harbingers of spring, according to the always-helpful hotline, Rutgers Master Gardeners of Monmouth County. And not to worry. The bulbs themselves “are almost bullet proof,” said the Master Gardener we spoke to. Even temperatures that plunge to the teens at this point are unlikely to do damage, although the foliage might brown a bit. A bigger threat is voles, who eat them, and squirrels, who like to move them around. If a cold snap is in sight, you could snip the buds of your daffies and take them inside to enjoy the blooms.

I asked about pruning rose bushes, which are now displaying tender new growth. March is when I usually do it. The questions drew one of the best pieces of gardening advice I’ve ever encountered. “Cut back the roses when the forsythias are in bloom. It’s an easy rule and it keeps you from keeping track.”

For those of you who consult plant hardiness zones to learn what will do best in your garden, the Master Gardener noted that the USDA just published a revised list at http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/, prompted by rising temperatures across the country. Simply plug in your zip code to learn your zone. The colder the zone, the lower the number. Ocean Grove is in zone 7a, smack in the middle.

MUSIC: Astrud Gilberto & Stan Getz