In winter I did that quite by luck. In winter time I kept them in a south facing window where they got direct sunlight, but there was also a fluorescent light for them too. They stayed ever green, and grew slowly. I never allowed the soil to completely dry out. In summer, I set them outdoors but they dried up once or twice in direct sun..... and they went dormant. Now they are in a shadier spot getting regular water and they are all coming back. I will keep them well watered as you suggested. Thanks a bunch! On Mon, Jul 25, 2011 at 12:53 PM, Dennis Szeszko <dszeszko@gmail.com> wrote: > Dennis: > > A few notes about the culture of P. geminiflora. I have seen this species > growing in warm oak forests in Mexico that are seasonally very dry. They > grow in highly mineralized clay soils and are accustomed to a 6 month dry > season. Your mistake was in trying to keep them green during the winter, > when you should have let your plants die back naturally by withholding > water. > > Recipe for success: > > Water your plants and provide almost full sun from May 15 to October 15 but > then only just enough water (once per month?) to keep the soil from > completely drying out from October 15 to May 15. Almost all of the bulbous > plants (Bessera, Tigridia, Calochortus etc) in the same habitat as P. > geminiflora react to the onset of summer rain by starting growth > immediately > after receiving a good soaking, so I'd be careful of overwatering during > the > dry season lest they commence growing unnaturally. This species grows in > warm temperate oak forests at around 1700 m., so it should adapt well to > growing outdoors in the US during the summer. > > I hope this helps... > > -Dennis > > >Polianthes geminiflora is a little perplexing to me. I thought I would > >struggle to keep it happy through the winter, indoors under lights, but in > >actuality keeping it happy outside has been far more difficult. Most of > >them died back, and are just now resprouting. I don't know what they > >want... maybe more water, more shade, or less heat? > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ >