>Cathy wrote; >"This weeks topic is: Have you ever planted a bulb and had it disappear from >sight and thought you had lost it only to rediscover it 4-6 years later?... >Lycoris bulbs ... planted these bulbs 12 inches deep! >I resigned myself to no lycoris bulbs. >Eventually all three appeared..." Dear All; I have mentioned the reluctance of Lycoris to settle down and have many times heard a similar story. I have told this one before ,but it is worth repeating: Fall -planed 25 L. chinensis late in the season (none bloomed) Spring 1 - only 3 appeared with foliage none bloomed Spring 2 -22 appeared with foliage none bloomed Spring 3- all 25 appeared with foliage and many bloomed, some with multiple stalks. The story usually goes "I bought bulbs from you 3( or 4 or 5) years ago and they didn't come up. I assumed they were dead. This fall I looked out towards the garden and saw a patch of (insert color here - yellow, white purple). When I investigated all the bulbs were in full bloom and were gorgeous." > This year although the drought stress continues, many new bulbs planted 1, 2 or 3 years ago are up and blooming (some for the very first time) including some wonderful hybrids, one with royal purple buds that open white rimmed in an undescribable pink-ish tone. L. incarnata is proving itself another to add to the mainstay list of 'squamigera, longituba chinensis and sprengeri*'. I may even get a bloom on L. rosea - very marginally hardy and rarely blooms, but the heat and drought may have won this over. Same for xhaywardii which is normally a shy bloomer here, but putting on a dazzling display with its rich pink flower heads. L. sprengeri are varying from intense blue to faded pink with blue highlights, but all are lovely. One has lovely striped petals. Many ( caldwellii, straminea, radiata etc.)are still not showing signs yet. Yes patience is needed for those bulbs shy to settle down. Jim W. * It continues to amaze me about the deficit in American gardens due to the rarity of Lycoris longituba chinensis and sprengeri. All three are equally trouble free, but, compared to L. squamigera which is very common, these remain rare. I put a blame on the early English (primarily) plant explorers who collected these, but found they did not do well in English gardens so they never got a proper distribution world wide as they surely deserve. Similarly, now that many 'new' species and hybrids are appearing in the US someone really needs to select a few (like some good forms of L. chinensis, L longituba flavum, all blue L. sprengeri and others) and propagate the heck out of it for commercial distribution. They deserve to be in many more gardens. Tissue culture anyone? Best Jim W. -- Dr. James W. Waddick 8871 NW Brostrom Rd. Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711 USA Ph. 816-746-1949 E-fax 419-781-8594 Zone 5 Record low -23F Summer 100F +