Pam asked >Hi PBSers- >I have a couple clumps of Scilla peruviana and having never sliced up the >basal plate before, thought I'd ask the experts. Do I soak it first? Is >there any trick to it other than slicing through the points of attachment >with a sharp, sterile knife? I don't think it matters much. This is a rapidly increasing plant that seems to survive almost any kind of handling. I just break off the outer bulbs without any special precautions and replant them soon. Although regarded with suspicion as a weedy species in climates warmer than mine (e.g. California), Scilla peruviana (I forget the split name assigned to it by Speta) is a good garden plant here in Oregon, tolerant of the long wet season (it can be seen in roadside ditches in nature) and useful as a cut flower. Jane McGary Portland, Oregon, USA