Lee Poulsen wrote: " This is interesting, Jim. I don't know which side of South Africa they come from, but here in So. California I see them almost naturalized (even a few up the canyon in the national forest area) and they are definitely a natural winter-grower/summer-dormant plant in this climate. (Which could explain the too-early emergence for you.)" What I didn't mention is that now that they're outside, they are summer dormant here, too. There is a burst of growth in late winter and early spring, but by mid summer they've browned off. The first time this happened, I thought I had lost them. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7 where Cardiocrinum cordatum is above ground. My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ BLOG! http://mcwort.blogspot.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/