Mark, I forgot to mention that of your list of species which you find especially rewarding for pot culture, I am currently growing bulbifera, aloides in two forms, carnosa, mutabilis, liliflora, splendida and pustulata. So I'm off to a good start! Lachenalia mutabilis, L. carnosa, L. aloides forms are about finished now; L. pustulata and L. liliflora are in advanced bud or showing color. Two not on your especially rewarding list, L. contaminata and L. orthopetala, are also in bud now. I forgot to ask one other question: which easily managed species have the best foliage? Back when Mary Sue had a topic of the week on bulbs with good foliage, I had not grown Lachenalia; now that I have, I realize that there some great foliage plants in this group. Although not exactly beautiful (I'm trying to keep in mind that beauty is in the mind of the beholder, but I'm sure there is a wide variety of minds out there, too) , the foliage of Lachenalia pustulata is very interesting. The other day I was moving the plants, and one of the very floppy leaves of this species was accidentally cut off. It lay around my room for a day or two, and then I picked it up and was amazed to see how much it was like a toy rubber snake or belt: it has a very odd, rubbery quality. It's something the Marx Brothers could have had a lot of fun with. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where Crocus ancyrensis out in the garden has buds up. My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/