Ernie O'Byrne wonders about seedling contamination of clumps of named snowdrops. I don't see many seedpods at all. Out of hundreds of snowdrops, maybe two or three pods, and they usually disappear before the seed ripens. Snowdrops that form big drifts tend to be sterile, I think. They've traded in seed production for bulb offsets. The prolific common double is sterile, of course, but also some species: the woronowii that has been spread all over Victoria produces crowded clumps quickly, yet I have never seen a seedpod in about 30 years. I get the occasional seedpod start to form on a couple of my hundreds of elwesii, but haven't managed to get a seed yet. One of my named forms, Magnet, is sterile. This year I have a couple of yearling deer that have decided to start eating snowdrop flowers, especially the named ones arranged along my front walk. I think bringing some potted snowdrops inside may be a good way to try for seed on two accounts: flowers won't be eaten, and maybe a bit of warmth will encourage seed production. -- Diane Whitehead Victoria, British Columbia, Canada maritime zone 8 cool mediterranean climate (dry summer, rainy winter - 68 cm annually) sandy soil