Hi all, Yesterday I noticed that many of the Colchicum cilicicum purpureum were blooming, the first colchicums to appear this season. Also noted Gladiolus x-gandavensis in bloom. There was some talk a couple years ago that x-gandavensis might just be G. dalenii primulinus. I had some corms of primulinus last season, and their flowers were markedly different from those of gandavensis. Also I might add that the primulinus did not survive the winter, while the x-gandavensis did. Today, rummaging around under the benches in the lath house, I discovered that the two pots of Haemanthus albiflos each had a bloom open. On the other side of the lath house in more shade, the pots of Cyclamen continue to increase in bloom. I'm repotting Clivias and Crinums, as well as the Lachenalias. L. rubida is sending up shoots, so L. bulbifera and L. viridiflora should not be far behind. I tried putting a bunch of L. rubida seedlings into one window box, 6 inches by 24 inches. I had only about 15 or so large bulbs to put in, so it may end up looking rather sparse. I will keep the window box in the cool greenhouse over winter. What results have others in cold winter climates like mine found with winter-growing South African irids? I do not ever get blooms on Babiana, Ixia, or Sparaxis. Chasmanthe and Watsonia in pots were total losses. Any suggestions on how to get any of these to bloom in the greenhouse? Regards, Jim Shields in central Indiana, where the temperatures finally have fallen below 60 F at night and below 80 F in the afternoon ************************************************* Jim Shields USDA Zone 5 Shields Gardens, Ltd. P.O. Box 92 WWW: http://www.shieldsgardens.com/ Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA Tel. +1-317-896-3925