Hello, Rob. We grow Fritillaria pudica from seed. I sow in fall in a very porous medium -- grit and more grit -- laced with calcium. We do not disturb the seedlings for a couple of years at least. They take three or more years to reach blooming size. In nature, these Frits are stimulated by spring runoff, sometimes even rising through melting snow. But they grow where rainfall is low, so they prefer a neutral to alkaline pH, and they don't want much moisture in summer. This is not the same as no moisture in summer. Before I learned, I would let them dry out completely. Only the most robust made it till fall. Now I water once or twice a month. Don't make a rule, test the medium with your finger. Like many bulbs, young Frits. tend to migrate to the bottom of the pot or frame, and there the medium should be kept coolly damp but not wet. I feed the pots with dilute 20 20 20 + minors several times a season while they are in growth, sometimes adjusting nutrients individually by the color of the leaves. After May, when temperatures here can quickly rise, I keep them under shade cloth if I can, but when I can't, most of them survive. In nature the grasses that help to shelter them are often gone by then. When I repot them for sale in late summer or early spring, I put some commercial bulb food into the potting mix. No doubt there is more to be said. Paige Woodward paige@hillkeep.ca http://www.hillkeep.ca/