In article ,
marg wrote:
Thank you all for your excellent replies.

Here are a couple of other early bloomers I didn't see mentioned:

chionodoxa (glory of the snow) - another tiny bulb, less conspicuous
than crocus but the flowers last much longer (3 weeks at least)
and aren't ruined by rain nor eaten by rodents. Also spread nicely.
Come in lavender-blue, pink, white, and blue-with-white-eye (my
favorite.)

hellebores - perennial, expensive but nice, good foliage also.

winter aconite - cute, small bulbs again, great yellow. Not eaten
by rodents, I think.

anemone blanda - tiny bulbs (corms, actually) - cute daisy-like
flowers, like sandy soil so I can no longer grow them but I used to.
Come in nice blue, pink and white.

Some azaleas/rhododendron bloom very early, ask at local nurseries.

Have fun- spring will get here eventually!

- Naomi D., zone 5, garden currently under a foot or more of snow.