When I had a property with very well drained soil, I could grow F. persica in the open, but now I am gardening on clay and probably it would not do well except in a raised bed of gritty soil. I uploaded a couple of pictures of the foliage of both species as it appears right now, which may give an idea of the garden conditions. http://s1265.photobucket.com/user/paridevita/… (ignore the dog) Most of the green things in both pictures are weeds. The imperialis are growing under Forestiera neomexicana, so this area is extremely dry except in spring when the snow melts. These bulbs are growing in the native soil, which is decomposed sandstone, but the F. persica are growing in clay. Bob Nold, Denver, Colorado, USA Zone 6