Dear All, This is a response to a conversation of the AB images group, but I am cross posting it in case anyone else is interested. MS Dear Paul and Mike, We discussed Oxalis on the Pacific Bulb Society list in our Northern Hemisphere fall and also when to start watering in climates where there is summer drought. Quite a few people (but not all as there always seem to be exceptions) felt that you needed to start watering the South Africans in late summer to get them to bloom properly. Lauw de Jager felt this was crucial for many of the Oxalis or you wouldn't get them to bloom. They would come up, but not bloom. I spoke with Michael Vassar at the IBS meeting in Pasadena about the number of Oxalis I couldn't get to bloom. I am grateful I had this opportunity since he is no longer alive. He suggested some of them needed hot summers which you can provide in Australia, but I can't and so I moved my dry pots into the greenhouse for the summer and it seemed to help a few of them. He also suggested a deeper pot for some of them. I had been growing them in shallow pots because I had read that the soil would heat up better in winter and that would help as they need warmth to bloom. That may be, but some of them need the room for roots more. I have some evidence that all three of these are important. When I have been away and started my Oxalis late so that neighbors wouldn't have to water them or acquired them late, they have done less well. Some of the ones that spent the summer in the greenhouse did much better. And I finally (!!) got blooms on one pot of Oxalis flava that had more of a root run (and was started earlier). Still no luck with Ken Aslet however, but I'd grow it for the leaves. And it is notorious for not blooming so Lyn is to be congratulated in getting hers to bloom. In spite of that I still have a number of Oxalis from trade or purchase that aren't doing well for me. And I have clones of the same species that are very happy. So I have concluded some just aren't happy in my climate and I'm giving up on them. I spoke with Charles Hardman about a week ago and he said he has representatives from all of Michael Vassar's collection and some never increased or were vigorous (Diana Chapman has mentioned this before). It would be interesting to know if they were the same ones that are a problem for me or if in his drier southern California climate he does better with some and I do better with others. Mary Sue Mary Sue Ittner California's North Coast Wet mild winters with occasional frost Dry mild summers