In the last few years there had been questions on this list about growing Allium tricoccum (ramp leek). It is a culinary bulb although it is the leaves that make most of the eating enjoyable. It is reported as native to the eastern US but molecular DNA evidence puts it most closely related to Old World species. Perhaps like Allium schoenoprasum (chives) it naturally spread through to the New World before the end of the last ice age. Anyway, I decided to give it a try and see if I could grow it in the mediterranean-type climate of coastal California. Last May I bought some plants at Berkeley Bowl (a local produce store that carries unique items like oca and ramp leek). The plants were sold with leaves, bulbs, roots and all. I sautéed some in butter and saved some which I planted in a porous mix, kept in partial shade and kept watered until they went dormant. I watered the gallon pot once a month to keep the mix just barely moist. The bulbs recently broke dormancy and sent up some delicious looking leaves, 1-2 per bulb. They will probably not bloom this year but perhaps next year. I consider this a success thus far. Mark McDonough remarked that his single bulb had never multiplied so perhaps I'll need to collect seeds and grow them if I want enough to eat. If anyone has experience growing this species please share. Nhu Berkeley, CA -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/xerantheum/