I'm with you, Diane. If having to choose one thing over another, I am the type to choose perennial over annual, and long bloom time over short. I really like the Zephs and Habs, though, which breaks my simplistic mold. I guess I feel they make up for short bloom time with repeats throughout the season. I did not measure the time, but my Galanthus elwesii stayed in bloom a loooong time. I have a tulip which I planted this past fall (late), I'm pretty sure it is 'Coleur Cardinal', but I can't find the tag, which was in full bloom before the 18°F freeze we had, and is still in petal drop stage, all without even noticing the cold weather. Meanwhile, a clump of Tulipa clusiana 'Cynthia' was also in bloom and these blooms froze and the foliage "wavered", but it has put up some blooms since, individual blooms not lasting nearly as long as its neighbor's. Whatever the red tulip is, I find it very handsome, not too tall for me, but quite stout and easy to notice. I sure hope it doesn't dwindle over time... Mr. Kelly M. Irvin 10850 Hodge Ln Gravette, AR 72736 USA 479-787-9958 USDA Cold Hardiness Zone 6a/b mailto:kelly@irvincentral.com http://www.irvincentral.com/ Diane Whitehead wrote: > I find it very hard to understand fugacious flowers. All that effort > for a couple of hours of show, and it is not as though they just did > the minimum necessary. Often they are incredibly intricate in > colour, shape, markings, scent. I guess they must grow in an area > with a guaranteed sufficiency of pollinators. > > I much prefer flowers that hang around hopefully waiting. Like > trilliums. John Gyer reports that the flower opens, then the pollen > ripens and two weeks later the stigma is receptive. Then the flower > remains open another week or so to receive pollen. > > Or snowdrops. I should keep track one year. It seems that I have > had Galanthus woronowii in bloom from early January to late March. > Those are the ones outside my kitchen window so I see them every > day. I don't know how long the other species out in the garden > last. Certainly they all give good garden value. > > > Diane Whitehead > Victoria, British Columbia, Canada > maritime zone 8, cool Mediterranean climate > mild rainy winters, mild dry summers > > > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > >