Rodger Whitlock, gardening somewhat north of me in the Pacific Northwest, listed as undependable (i.e., difficult or impossible to establish) some bulbs I also have trouble with. The big snowflakes (the ones still in the genus Leucojum and not transferred to Acis) do not flower here though the plants hang on. I attribute this problem to a fast-draining mineral soil that I can't keep adequately moist in summer. I can't grow Tricyrtis well either, and I attribute this to slugs, even though the new "safe" baits have reduced that problem significantly. I no longer have double Galanthus nivalis: could the stocks be virus-infected? The single one flourishes. As for daffodils, they do very well here despite the presence of narcissus fly, which is a pest in the bulb frames to the extent that I now cover the sternbergias with Reemay by mid-spring. I've been told that bulb fly is unlikely to lay eggs on plants in the shade, but even my garden narcissus in the sun seem largely unaffected. The garden snowdrops are mostly in the shade and seem not to be attacked. Perhaps the sheer volume of plants present is some defense. (The insects seem not to have emerged yet this year, which has been cold late into spring.) That said, I've also lost certain hybrid daffodils quickly, but I suspect some of them are not very cold-hardy. Rodger's garden is a bit warmer than mine in winter, though, because he's closer to the ocean and at a lower elevation. Jane McGary Northwestern Oregon, USA