Tim and all, Yes I grow the variable and variable x bulbispermum hybrids with NO protection, but they are very slow to mature and no flowers after a number of years. Yes I did mean scabrum hybrids, not the straight species. Even so a little iffy and mulchinghelps them a lot. . >> I think Jim Shields found C. variabile to be as hardy for him as bulbispermum >> and he created hybrids of the two. Plant Delights had them but may not offer them. >> I don't think scabrum is very hardy but its cross with bulbispermum >> (Herbertii) is fairly hardy (6B?). I lost a lot of Herbertii to a cold winter >> this year. >> Cold and wet will kill a lot of things - so you can effectively >> gain two zones by raking leaves over them in the fall and covering with >> plastic. >> I have crosses of bulbispermum and variabile with lots of others like >> hardyi, ligulatum, lavranii, macowanii, firmifolium, carolo-schmidtii, >> fimbriatulum, oliganthum, erubescens, and some hybrids that should be >> hardy to >> zone 6 or 7. >> > > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ James Waddick 8871 NW Brostrom Rd Kansas City, MO 64152-2711 USA Phone 816-746-1949