Thanks for those links, Robert. The data on that NC State University site is in need of some finessing. They show Lycoris squamigera as hardy in zones 9 and 10 and requiring mulching in zones 8-5. It has long been known that Lycoris squamigera is more or less useless as a flowering plant in zones 9 and 10 and perhaps even in the warmer parts of zone 8. On the other hand, it thrives - with or without mulch - from zone 7 northwards. Furthermore, the foliage is not produced in the spring; it's produced in the mid to late winter. Also, the hardiness data given is peculiar: they show the plant as injured at temperatures just below freezing. Yet in my garden the new foliage routinely appears when nighttime temperatures are still dropping down into the teens. This site also suggests spring planting: spring planted bulbs are almost certain to be storage bulbs, bulbs dug the previous summer and held over for spring planting - bulbs which have been out of the ground for six or more months, part of which time is their prime root growing season. And I think few of us would say that these bulbs benefit from dry storage. Yes, they will survive dry storage for awhile; but they are better off not stored at all. Lycoris are like Lilium candidum: they don't fit into the usual bulb handling routines. Both should be handled in late summer. Thanks in particular, Robert, for calling attention to the Caldwell article. I first read this earlier this year, after making a post to this list suggesting that Lycoris squamigera might set seed if pollinated by a Lycoris with tetraploid pollen. There was no response to that idea, but the Caldwell article suggests to me that at least some forms of Lycoris chinensis ( or maybe I should say some of the plants called Lycoris chinensis) might be tetraploid. Incidentally, I live not too far from Glenn Dale, Maryland, and I've known about the "Glenn Dale yellow Lycoris" for a long time; but I've never been able to find anyone who can confirm if it still grows in a local garden. I seem to recall hearing that a USDA staffer had it in his personal garden decades ago, but he died long ago. For me the trail stops dead there. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7 My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/Bulletins/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/