Nhu mentioned "I had a high rate of germination with fresh seeds, but of course, none of the seedlings came back." referring to Hesperocallis. I wonder why he says "of course". I have not attempted Hesperocallis. Am I wrong to expect most of my seedlings return after their first dormancy? I would read with keen interest the experience of others with their seedlings successful reemergence. I have mixed success. I can make a few generalizations from the small sample of species and growing conditions I have tried, all winter-growing, summer-dormant and mostly iridaceae. The most clear trend is that seeds sown directly into deep, raised bulb boxes fully exposed to sun, rain, and frost have fared best both in the first and second season and have resulted in high yields of bulbs per number of seeds sown. Those include Babiana spp., Pasethea carulea, Moraea polystachya, Dichelostemma capitatum and Freesia laxa, none of which are difficult to grow. The exception to that rule is the Tropaeolum hookerianum which self sowed a dozen vigorous sprouts last year, none of which returned. My experience with potted seedlings is the opposite. Some of the tiny seed pots are growing well in their second season but more than half have yet to re- emerge. I have some ideas what factors may most strongly affect the ability of seedlings to live through their first dormancy. The first I have read from the PBS list and elsewhere, that the juvenile corm or bulb must achieve a minimum size, storing sufficient energy to support emergent growth. I started my seeds months later than ideal in 2012 so the seedlings did not have a long enough winter to grow before going dormant. However, the in-ground sowing was also done late. My second idea is that in-ground growth experiences much damped oscillation of day and night soil temperature compared to the tiny seed pots. That heat may inhibit corm growth, which may require cooler temperatures as it does with Crocus. Also I suspect but have not shown that moisture varies more in the tiny pots than in-ground. What methods do PBS members recommend to increase the chances of seedlings surviving past their first dormancy? And if a seedling pot does not re-emerge, should it be retained for another year as with yet- to-germinate pots? - Gastil Santa Barbara, CA, cool and dry Mediterranean climate All seedlings grown outdoors