Hi Diane, At the same time that Mary Sue rescued some of the Zienkowski collection I did the same. Even though my climate (San Diego) would have been fine for planting them out in the ground I followed Koopowitz’s recommendation. I potted them all in 1 gallon containers (half of them 'short 1 gallon’) and placed them outdoors all year where they get full sun from October through early March and part shade in summer. They are watered one per month from May through August and as seems when needed during the growing season. They bloom every year and have multiplied. I apply potassium once in late summer but nothing else. Growing them hard is important. When the pots got root bound after 10 years I did repot and missed bloom from those plants for several years. But they did rebloom, often better. Some years I see great bloom, others less so. Don’t ask for a clear explanation but there may be some correlation with the date and temperature of the August watering and perhaps a weaker blooming during the really droughty years when only 4 inches of rain fell in winter. I suspect it was not the lower winter rain as I did water 'when needed’ but the hotter summers that followed. Shading the pots more in summer would be my weak recommendation for this area. The only negative effect I have seen is the incursion of Lachenalia seeds among them. But, who hasn’t seen that! Andrew San Diego coastal > On Oct 1, 2017, at 12:57 PM, Mary Sue Ittner <msittner@mcn.org> wrote: > > Hi Diane, > > Years ago when IBS rescued the Zinkowski bulbs I received a number of them since I donated to the effort. Harold Koopowitz said not to plant them in the ground so I put most of them in pots. I planted a few out just to test his advice and they have flowered I think twice since 1999. So I don't feel I've been successful. As we have tried to figure out how to grow them, it has been suggested they need water during dormancy since they have perennial roots. My soil is VERY dry in summer. We water some, but not much, during our long period without rain, but the Coast Redwoods are very greedy and I think they absorb most of it. I too have my pots year round in the greenhouse so I can remember to water them in summer. I found that in my climate when we had heavy rainfall in winter they got Stagonospora curtisii so that's when they became year long greenhouse subjects. I know you just asked for success. Perhaps those who have responded with their success can explain how they treat them. > > Mary Sue, Northern Coastal California >> I have pots of about nine named forms of Nerine sarniensis in my cool greenhouse (cool year-round). They don't flower very often, but two are currently in flower. >> >> They have proliferated, so I was wondering about trying some outside in the garden. >> >> Where are they being grown successfully? >> > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/…