Jim McKenney wrote > ...in his 1629 Paradisus, John Parkinson.... From what I've read, the very earliest gardens known, in what is now called the Middle East, were walled enclosures with water features. They were known by a name that today has morphed into "paradise." Gardens of this design are common in Roman and Arabic architecture, as can be seen in ancient buildings in Spain and Pompeii, and a modern recreation of a Pompeiian villa at the old Getty museum in Malibu, California. I would think Parkinson's title refers to gardens in general, and might be translated simply as _The Garden_. Saffron was no doubt grown in or near such gardens. Thus we have both bulbous and blue content to this message. Gastil, if you have trouble with Colchicum, you can probably grow saffron without too much trouble in well-drained soil. Leo Martin Phoenix Arizona USA