Two years ago I bought seed of Lilium humboldtii ssp ocellatum from the Theodore Payne Foundation. Nearly every seed germinated and grew on, and I now have quite a few robust seedlings. I'd like to plant them out this fall, but research has me confused about their preferred habitat. The Payne Foundation's website describes the habitat as clearings in yellow pine forest and chaparral, and emphasizes that the plants should be dry in summer. The text on the PBS wiki says the plants are often found on streamsides. I don't know if the "streams" are seasonal or year-round, however. What can others tell me about this? I'm developing the top of a steep bank in my new garden as a chaparral, or garrigue if you prefer the European term, habitat, with scattered drought-tolerant shrubs such as Arctostaphylos and Cistus spp., punctuated by weathered large rocks from my former (still for sale!) home. The soil is nutrient-poor but well "tilled" by the roots of the Douglas firs that used to grow there. I'm mulching it with small gravel. Among the shrubs I've added some shrubby penstemons and other suitable perennials, and of course bulbs. I wish I could put in some small species tulips, which would look perfect, but I won't buy commercial tulips because of the possibility of spreading viruses to my lilies (I have a lot of others, and I can grow them now that I have no deer and rabbits). If this is a suitable habitat for L. humboldtii, I'd like to plant the young lilies in groups between the shrubs. By the way, don't tell me I can't grow these southern California lilies in Oregon. The new place is in a banana belt, and I am positively reveling in zone denial. Jane McGary Portland, Oregon, USA