On 14 Oct 07, at 10:09, Jane McGary wrote: > ...I know that I will never get Nerine or Crinum to flower here... O ye of little faith! Nerine & Crinum both do well here, and your climate probably isn't that different from Victoria's. Based on what I saw in flower on a trip to SF in late Feb 2002, I'd say the Portland spring is a good month ahead of ours, so you can't be *that* much different, can you? I have my crinums planted close to the house in the belief that heat loss through the foundation will mitigate the effects of hard freezes. Such crinums as I have do well enough, though I wouldn't call them stellar performers. Nerine bowdenii doesn't do well for me, but I'm pretty sure the problem is the high winter water table -- I live in an old swamp and during wet winter weather, there's standing water. Nonetheless, a few of them throw up a few flower stalks. Again, not a stellar performance, but better than nothing. [The swamp totally dries out in summer.] Nerine crispa planted amongst some no-name crinums pops up every once in a while: it seems to be sensitive to hard freezes and after we have one, there's no floral sign of it for a few years -- though there may be foliage I don't notice. In other sites around town, Nerine bowdenii grows like gangbusters. The best stand I know of is in the shade of Garry oaks (Quercus garryana) on the side of a small (400') mountain: front garden beds carpeted with the things, a few in the neighbors' as well, obviously handalongs. It's true that Victoria is a maritime city with the saltchuck on three sides, so perhaps your humidity theory is operative, but still, I wouldn't give up hope. -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate on beautiful Vancouver Island