After a few months of cold temperatures and snow shoveling, my thoughts start drifting to spring, when the snow will be gone and my spring garden will start to wake up. I look forward to crocuses and snowdrops and other spring bulbs, but in my garden, the most enchanting harbingers of spring are the infinitely varied yukiwariso, literally “flower that breaks through the snow.”     I had never heard of yukiwariso, or Hepatica nobilis var. japonica, before coming to Yamagata – which is actually not surprising, since they are native to the Niigata region, particularly Sado Island, and are

After a few months of cold temperatures and snow shoveling, my thoughts start drifting to spring, when the snow will be ...