Hi Uli, Thanks for the info. It's very interesting to hear your experiences. I'll keep a look out for N. Bowdenii. One interesting thing about this hobby is finding a bulb (plant) that excites you and normally does not grow in your part of the world and trying to manipulate an environment to get it to grow and flourish. Sometimes we are rewarded with great plants and blooms and other times.....well..... it's an experience. Still waiting for the A. Belladonna to even emerge. Brad. -----Original Message----- From: pbs [mailto:pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Johannes-Ulrich Urban Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2014 12:51 PM To: Pacifib Bulb Society messages Subject: [pbs] Amaryllis belladonna in pots Hello Brad, You live in an even colder climate than I do. Here we are zone 6-7 in northern Germany and we have to be prepared for minus 20°C in winter for many days in a row. Thak kind of frost penetrates deep into the soil although that does not happen every winter. So any winter growing bulb has be be grown under glass, protected from frost but with good light. I do love Amaryllis belladonna, every time I see them in flower.... I want them. I have tried so many times, in pots, in the garden with good protection, in the open ground in the greenhouse.... nothing really worked. I had a few blooms from the bulbs planted in the open soil inside the greenhouse which is kept frost free. But even that was disappointing because I had a big bunch of leaves at a time of the year where space is at a premium under glass and very littel rewards flowerwise to justify the space taken. So... honestly..... I gave up on that bulb. I do not want to discourage you... but there are so many plants that can be grown under one's given condition, why bother with one that will not perform? With me A. belladonna has never flowererd in a pot and it is said that the bulbs do not like to be disturbed, they need one or two years to settle in after transplanting and will not flower until they are established, in a suitable climate that is. What I recommend as a suitable substitute are the hardiest forms of Nerine bowdenii. (Not N. sarniensis!) N. bowdenii var wellsii is considered quite hardy. I have donated seeds to the BX of a particularly hardy form that has even survived outside one of the worst winters we had those last years. But I give it overhead protection with a thick mulch and a cover against winter wet at the base of a south facing wall. N. bowdenii is entirely summer growing but autumn blooming when the leaves die down. The flowers are different from A. belladomma of course, but they are THERE, many of them. Looks great with silver Artemisia and blue Ceratostigma. Ontario should have a thick snow cover that is an excellent insulation. I remember Ellen Hornig talking about her former nursery in New York state, she could grow things outside that I can only dream of, because of her immense and very reliable snow cover. Hope that helps..... Uli