The greenhouse display bench is a riot of color at this time of the year: Carmine red Romulea amoena, Orange Crocus vitellinus ex Turkey, Chrome yellow Narcissus bulbicodium ex Morocco (sturdy flowers are well over an inch/2.5 cm wide on 5 inch/12.5 cm stems), pale yellow Babiana vanzyliae, Tecophilia cyanocrocus leitchlinii, Crocus pestalozzae var. caeruleus, abantensis and fleischerii, Babiana truncata, Lapeirousia oreogena and pale blue plicata (say ten times fast), pink Onixotis stricta and dainty white Hesperantha bachmanii. Lachenalia attenuata, concordiana, pustulata, maximiliara, splendida (and it is), mutabilis (another good one) elegans var flava (nice plant), bulbifera (must have) and aloides var. quadricolor (another must have although all the aloides are more than worthwhile). Outside it is a tad too soon for the earliest bulbs but that is more than made up for by the recalcitrant seed pots that germinate and the new seeds that arrive in the mail. Mark Mazer Intarsia Ltd. Gaylordsville, Connecticut 06755-0142 USA