As I am offering seeds of this plant on the current BX I have a few interesting observations to share. I used to see offerings in catalogs for Veltheimia but they always seemed so expensive so I never ordered any. Then I saw some at Bill Dijk's nursery in New Zealand and thought them really beautiful. Doug Westfall was digging some Veltheimia bracteata out of his garden and shared some with me and I absolutely love them. The leaves would be worth growing them alone, but they are in bloom for a very long time as well. I planted some in my garden in a somewhat shady spot that has some protection from the elements since it is under trees and next to my garage. These are doing well and surviving with occasional summer water. They are deciduous for me even with occasional water. I envision a whole swath of them like Patty Colville described were once at the L.A. Arboretum. They are producing offsets and this year I was amazed to see some new ones in the area where I want them that weren't attached to others so some seed must have found a spot and germinated so perhaps it will happen sooner than I expect. Yea! I have had mixed success with seed. The deer ate all my seedlings one year and I had poor germination twice from fall sowing. Last year I decided to soak the seeds before I started them and planted them in winter instead of fall and had really good luck. They aren't really from a winter rainfall area even if they act that way for me so starting them later seemed worth a try. Remembering Diana Chapman's wonderful fire method story and her tale of getting massive quick germination using fire I tried soaking my seed in smoke water, but found no real difference between smoke water, regular water, and kelp water. Cathy Craig got seeds once to bloom in 18 months and I remembered that. I started some inside and some outside. The ones inside I remembered to fertilize more and they have quite a few leaves now even though they aren't even a year old. The ones I left outside and fertilized less have only one and sometimes the second leaf now, but the leaves are much healthier looking, darker green, shiny. Lauw advised me that I'd really love Veltheimia capensis. I ordered one from Diana and it disappeared. I suspect birds, but it could have been something else. It was very sad. I requested seed whenever it appeared on exchange lists, but never got it. Finally last year I ordered seeds from Rachel (which I should have done straight away) and had good germination and most all have returned. It is very strange however that the seedlings all seem to be growing on their own schedule with one making great progress and having already about 4 leaves and many others with one or two leaves and a few just now leafing out. Doug last year sent me one that was supposed to be V. capensis that the birds singled out for attention immediately!! I sheltered it in my green house where they can't go and it put out replacement leaves. It looks like V. bracteata to me but he tells me that it still may be capensis. Do the two hybridize? When Bill Dijk was in Pasadena, I bought seed of his bicolored form that I admired in New Zealand. I haven't started it yet, but wonder if the seeds come up how many I can expect to be bicolored? Mary Sue