It's good to hear all sides of a complex issue like this, and fun to note that no one on either side is "wrong". Life is full of trade-offs. I for one, won't live long enough to want to start seeds that won't bloom for ten years. But I sure have fun starting seeds of faster growers and sending the young bulbs to the BX. No question jet lag is an issue, but a good vendor knows when is the best time to ship summer vs winter growers. For example, I got a huge bulb of Brunsvigia grandiflora in a recent group order. It is completely dry, completely dormant, yet it has been putting down huge, fleshy roots the entire time, and I expect it to pop into growth in the spring. We've already hashed over the issue of shipping costs, and I would just remind all that domestic shipping from typical mail-order nurseries isn't much different, esp. for a small order. PBS is blessed with many highly competent growers who are also good about sharing their surplus. So I would hope that all the cool things we imported in the group orders will soon start showing up as seeds and offsets in future exchanges, which serves our conservation mission and also, of course, eliminates the jet lag issue. Importing isn't for everyone (nothing is!), but it is a crucial leg of the stool in the overall member ecosystem we're trying to maintain. The high level of interest and participation seems to bear this out. Bob Zone 7 gloomy but still warm _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net https://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> PBS Forum https://…