Nathan, maybe the answer isn't out there after all. We've been trying, without dependably repeatable success, to grow Amaryllis belladonna here on the East Coast for over two hundred years. I would think that if someone had hit on the answer, it would have spread like wildfire and be readily found in the literature.The bulbs are commonly sold in local garden centers yearly: by now, thousands of them must have been planted in our gardens. So if there are floral biologists out there who know the answers but do not deign to answer these questions, then I say shame on them! Although until proven wrong, I'll prefer to believe that they don't really know the answers (rather than believing that they are the furtive, elitist, selfish information hoarders you describe). What kind of person who, on becoming aware of a situation where they might be able to contribute to the betterment of things, turns their back and walks away? I've been participating in this on line group since 2004, and one of the things which keeps me here is the freedom with which good information is unstintingly exchanged. And really Nathan, if you are not trying to offend anyone, why does your evaluation of the level of sophistication of the current discussion attempt to utilize such disparaging comparisons (re-inventing the wheel? unsophisticated taste in planting?) You've succeeded in making your pals in the world of floral biology sound like haughty snobs unwilling to stoop to our level. I think you owe them an apology. Jim McKenneyMontgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where I guess it's time to get out and buy some pink flamingos: they'll be lovely next to the Amaryllis belladonna if it ever blooms. _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.ibiblio.org http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/