One of the earliest spring flowers sprouts often right through the snow

The story goes that an elder of the Lenni Lenape Delaware tribe called the weather service to find what was predicted for the upcoming winter. Hearing it was going to be cold, the elder put the word out that the tribe was to gather as much firewood as possible.

Daily they consulted the weather service, and each time the predictions were more stern than the day before. Finally, he asked the weather service what was changing that this year's winter was going to be colder than ever. The weather service simply replied, “Because the Lenni Lenape Delaware tribe is gathering firewood like crazy.”

Whether winter is cold and dreary or not, we all dream of the first break, that one time when we see that spring is really here.

One of the earliest spring flowers often sprouts right through the snow with a cluster of star-shaped, sky-blue flowers on short, thick stems. It’s Chionodoxa, better known as Glory of the Snow.

This native of the eastern Mediterranean mountains in Crete, Cyprus, and Turkey grows from tiny bulbs. Every bulb sprouts five to 10 upward-facing flowers of sky blue with white throats. They are hardy in USDA zones 3-8.

Plant these tiny bulbs under trees, along walkways, in rock gardens or even scattered in lawns. They will bloom in sequence depending upon how much light and heat they receive, so you may find weeks of blooms starting in the sunniest, warmest areas and ending in the cooler, darker reaches of your property.

Glory of the Snow will finish blooming by mid to late spring, but the low, strappy leaves will last until early fall. They will often self seed and form colonies over time.

In addition to the common blue color, Glory of the Snow is also available with white flowers (Alba) and colorful pink or lavender flowers of Pink Giant Glory of the Snow.

Like all bulbs, Glory of the Snow does best in soil that drains well. Wet soils can cause the bulbs to rot. Scatter the bulbs in masses for best effect, planting them three inches deep and a few inches apart.

These are carefree flowers that you plant and forget. If your spring is especially dry you can help them along with occasional watering, and you can even feed them a slow-release bulb fertilizer, but all in all, they thrive on neglect.

You can pair them with other early bulbs such as crocus and early daffodils. Small yellow daffodils such as Tete-a-Tete contrast well with the blue flowers.

Try planting some in dappled shade or woodland paths. They even do well when planted under rose bushes.

The key to success is to let the foliage stay on the plants all summer. If you grow them in a lawn, keep the mower blades high enough that they don’t decapitate the Glory of the Snow.

You can divide the bulbs every few years, although this is not really necessary.

Glory of the Snow is resistant to deer and rabbit damage.

It isn't just our imagination that flowers, especially flowers that appear when all else is dead in spring, really do lift our moods. A recent study at Rutgers University shows that flowers can cause people to smile more, and cause more positive behavior. People who receive flowers truly become less depressed or anxious, and even more satisfied with their lives.

The good feelings are apparently contagious, and people who receive flowers also reported better interpersonal contact with friends and family, even getting more hugs and kisses.

So tuck in some Glory of the Snow bulbs anywhere you think you will need a burst of color next spring.

You will be rewarded with a welcome break from the winter and a boost to your mood. It may just help facing winter knowing that spring will bring these first flowers, even without the tribe gathering firewood.