Bananaman88

Yes, they do send up a flag leaf first. I think the reason mine is blooming so early is that I saved two of the biggest pstems from last year to put back in the pot so they were naturally futher along (maturity-wise) than something smaller or something that had died back to ground level. I've even seen this one put up a bud just slightly above ground level (like 6") and bloom just after breaking dormancy. It truly is a fun plant to grow!
As for fertilizer, I really don't fertilize as often as I should probably...especially considering that it's in a pot. The soil I used this year had some fertilizer in it already and I did give it a shot of Miracle Grow about a week ago when I was out fertilizing my other pots.