Hi Mary-Sue and others, > What needs to be done in the Southern Hemisphere in January? Any of > you from there care to enlighten us? For me its hand watering pots of summer growers and commencing repotting of summer dormant species. Most bulbs in pots which are summer growing are in and around my expanding shadehouse structure. The last 2 months of spring here were particularly dry but thankfully we had a week with some good rain just before Xmas (44mm) which gave some watering respite and freshened the general garden. Into the second month of summer I am noticing some atypical behavour from some winter rainfall South African amaryllids. I have 2 pots of 2nd year Gethyllis seedlings still in growth. They are under cover and I am watering them occasionally from below. An older seedling of Cybistetes longifolia as well as a new batch of seedlings are still growing strongly- I seem to remember they only began growth in early spring. Yesterday I noticed a pot of Strumaria tenella still with very green leaves - these may be subsp orientalis from a summer rainfall area. I really enjoy the first repotting of bulb seedlings and usually mark those ready to be done , while still in growth, with an extra tag (old label usually) so I dont forget. I always wait until after the second season of growth and sometimes longer. I usually repot mature bulbs about every 2-3 years - I had a big repotting effort last summer so not too many to be tackled this year. I have started sowing the seeds I have been accumulating and storing over the past few months. Colchicum and Crocus were sown at the beginning of January to given them a couple of warm dry months before we get any significant rain. The combination of a dry end to spring then some good rain before Xmas has commenced flowering of Cyclamen hederifolium and Leucojum autumnale. It also brought on a few flowers of Habranthus' martinezii and andersonii . Dierama continue to make a nice display in the garden and Ismene longipetala and Hymenocallis harrisiana are currently in bloom. Roscoea , a couple of Lilium and quite a few Arisaema are flowering in the shadehouse , with a few scattered in shady spots in the garden. Eucomus are well into leaf around the garden with an occasional flower bud appearing. Some white Crinum hybrids are in bloom with a first flowering C bulbispermum just faded. I very much enjoyed the Cyrtanthus discussion -thanks to all those who contributed. Like everyone else I find a few species are easy and the rest a struggle. C brachyscaphus is flowering at present. Cheers, Rob in Tasmania Temperate Marine Climate USDA equivalent Zone 9