"Naked Boys"

I came home today and discovered my "naked boys" in bloom.

Now that I have your attention, I have to explain (it's not like it sounds).

Many, many years ago, I was visiting a friend and fell in love with a most beautiful flower in his garden. He called them "naked boys." This is one of their common names --  another one is "Fall Crocus". His common name referred to the fact that they bloom without the presence of leaves...hence the flowers look naked.

You might ask: How can a plant survive without leaves?  Well, the answer is they don't. Each April, the leaves quickly appear, at the same time as your daffodils do. These leaves produce all the needed food to fill the underground bulbs with nutrients in order to create the amazing show of flowers you get in the fall.

Sounds bizarre doesn't it? These fall crocus are hardy bulbs, like tulips and daffodils, but they turn everything you thought you knew about hardy bulbs upside down.