On 18 Oct 2015, at 19:43, S. R. Gilbert wrote: > Dear PBS, Probably very foolishly, I bought one hundred Eranthis bulbs and > must now do my best with them in my Petaluma garden. Winters in Petaluma are > mild, with temperatures seldom dipping below freezing, and daytime highs > mostly in the sixties. What advice can you offer to this Eranthis novice? 1. Soak the corms (or are they tubers?) in water for 48 hours. Fresh water after the first 24 hours. Then plant. 2. Plant in the shade on the north side of your house: that's usually the coolest part of any garden. E. hyemalis is very hardy, coming as it does from cold-winter places. 3. When they flower, exaine them closely; you may very well have E. cilicia, not E. hyemalis. E. cilicia does better in dry summers, and has a greater need for lime in the soil. -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Z. 7-8, cool Mediterranean climate