As Tony Avent says, the commonly grown form of G. papilio is not very attractive but extremely hardy and vigorous. Anyone who wishes to start a breeding programme with it can come and extract a few hundred from the rock garden at my parents' garden. I have read that the species was used in early breeding work to add purple colours to the large-flowered hybrids, and that it also conferred hardines that was bred out (wilfully or otherwise) in later generations. I was astonished by the startling white and red version of the species shown in Roy Herold's picture from the Kamsberg - now that really would be worth growing! In circulation in the UK are plants named 'Purpureo-auratus Group' - this being an invalid synonym for forms with yellow and dull red flowers. They are very distinct and much more attractive than the afore-mentioned thug. Also less vigorous, and the plant I bought a couple of years ago failed to emerge the next spring , I think more likely due to a mouse than through tenderness. (I have a picture that I would upload to the Wiki if only I could get the thing to do it! Please would some kind person let me know what the password is.) Becoming better known in the UK now is a very fine hybrid (said to have been raised in New Zealand) sold as G. papilio 'Ruby', which has velvety quite bright red flowers with darker blotches on the lower segments. It seems to be quite hardy and is an extremely useful garden plant. There is no doubt that the options from using G. papilio as a parent are vast and it would be great to see more use being made of it. In the question of the Dutchman's attitude, we have to remember that the Dutch bulb-growing community are for the most part interested only in farming bulbs - they are not plantsmen, and make no pretence to be so. They want a quick, safe return with familiar, growable items. One shudders to think at the gems that are discarded because their rate of increase is insufficient. I have to confess that much though I prefer the species, I rather like some large-flowered Gladiolus - so long as they have a nice colour. One has to think of them in different terms to the species, but they can be extremely effective in a mixed border. I had one last year called (at least on the packet) 'Mediterranee', with beautiful soft blue-mauve flowers that looked fantastic with Agastache 'Blue Fortune' and went on for months as inflorescences kept emerging. Another star was 'Emerald Spring' with wonderful green flowers, which I defy the most hard-bitten anti-Glad types to dislike. John Grimshaw Dr John M. Grimshaw Sycamore Cottage Colesbourne Nr Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 9NP -----