Kathleen, I think yours should be fine. Mine have self sown etc. and are colonized under and around some roses - so you know they are getting a lot of moisture... Another interesting feature on this Glad is the many tiny (less than rice kernel) bulbils which cluster the main bulb. Unless detached they do not seem to form leaves - but when gophers do their thing I get a lot of babies coming up in the area...CA Frits have a similar mechanism. Chad Schroter - Los Gatos CA Zone 9B -----Original Message----- From: pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Kathleen Sayce Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2009 9:55 AM To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org Subject: [pbs] Gladiolus tristis Yesterday I toured my yard, and was pleased to see Gladiolus tristis, which I purchased last year from Telos Rare Bulbs, coming into flower. The flowers are white, with green stripes on the outside of the tepals; 1-2 per stem this year, perhaps more in coming years. Very nice. Now we'll see if the bed they grow in, which gets no water, is dry enough for them to thrive. Last winter was upper zone 7, so I am also impressed with hardiness. If by chance they set seed, I'll save it for the seed exchange. Kathleen On Willapa Bay, where it's sunny and warm (mid 60s F), for a change, and the shorebirds have departed for the Arctic.