Little is flowering in my "greenhouse," or conservatory, or plant room (or, as a Russian friend calls it, the aranzheriya 'orangery'), except for cyclamen species such as C. graecum, persicum, africanum, and rohlfsianum. In the bulb frame, however, are many interesting flowers. Being an alpine enthusiast I love Scilla lingulata var. ciliata, which has flat rosettes of stiff little triangular leaves and puffs of bright blue flowers barely rising above them. There are several fall-blooming scillas -- most people grow S. scilloides and S. autumnalis. S. intermedia flowers in September here. S. scilloides is rather large and increases quickly, but the others would be perfect in a California rock garden. Many crocuses have already come and gone. Crocus nudiflorus is in good condition now, and C. ochroleucus is starting up in frame and garden; the latter survives my rodent=infested beds better than any other crocus, I think because it pulls itself down so deeply. C. moabiticus, which started out this season rather slowly in very cold temperatures, has improved its outlook on life in the past few warm days, and I hope to get some seed set, as it set seed during a warm fall 2 years ago; a "saffron" relative native to Jordan, it is rare and endangered and rarely sets seed in cultivation, and should be grown in southern California, where I will send some if possible one of these years. Just behind it in flowering schedule is another Mideast native, C. hermoneus, which seems to be a bit easier to grow although also quite scarce. The Sternbergias are almost done, though S. greuterana has a longer flowering period than the other fall-blooming ones; it is small, about one-third the size of familiar S. lutea. The last of the Colchicums are in flower now, particularly tiny C. cupanii in the autumn-flowering white form. It has filled an 8-inch (20-cm) pot and covered the surface with bloom. I also have it in the rock garden, where it is surviving but not flowering, perhaps a bit too cold and wet. Another late colchicum is C. procurrens, which is pink. Narcissus serotinus and N. humilis both flowered this fall, just before I left for South America in October, and I am both surprised and gratified to see them carrying on from year to year in what must be a trying climate for them. Jane McGary Northwestern Oregon