According to Phillips & Rix (Random House Book of Bulbs), Ixiolirion tataricum (they list I. montanum and pallasii as synonyms) has a very broad range from Turkey and Egypt east to western Siberia and Songaria (where?). It seems that these bulbs could be found in steppe climates, Mediterranean climates, and even desert. Based on my limited experience, the Dutch stock may have come from cold steppe. I tried growing these twice. In central Pennsylvania, I planted a few bulbs in sandy soil. They survived the zone 6 winter with no problems, emerging in the spring. Unfortunately, they were soon eaten by something, probably a rabbit, or 20 rabbits. They never returned, and I never bothered to order them again (the bulbs, not the rabbits). In Georgia (zone 8) I tried them in two gallon nursery pots. Only a few came up in the spring, and they didn't live long enough to bloom. My feeling is that if you can grow those species tulips that come from the steppes, you can grow Ixiolirion. I'm not 100% sure of this, but I think Ixiolirion is grown commercially in Israel. Those strains may stand a better chance of growing in California, or Georgia, for that matter. > From: Adam Fikso > > I find that it's always worthwhile finding out where the bulbs originate. > If it's appropriately named like Ixiolirion tataricum, the species epithet > by itself is a clue. It's a Tatar, a steppe bulb, in all likelihood. Yeah, > dry summers, and minimal rains, and lousy soil, and good drainage and maybe > cold winters--really cold, and lots of limestone in the soil, and sharp > drainage, (either that and a sloping clay or terra rossa base where the > water drains off before it soaks in very much..) > > Of course this doesn't work for Scilla peruviana!--but we've been over that > more than once. Not to mention Albuca canadensis! Gene Eugene Zielinski (yes, I DO have a bookshelf next to my computer station) Augusta, GA USA