Starts by introducing himself to Kathleen Sayce; channeling Bugs Bunny as the Barber of Seville; soaking Kathleen's scalp in a bowl of beer for half an hour; giving her hair a quick spritz of vinegar, then pouring a mound of diatomaceous earth and crushed eggshells on top of her head and hiding the pile with a big 'ol beehive hairdo. Declares Kathleen's cranium to be snail/slug free! I'm in my early fifties, semi-retired, and live in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York (Zone 6b). I've had a clivia (orange) for almost thirty years, and a few Habranthus and Zephyranthes for a decade. But, I didn't develop Amaryllid Fever until about a year ago. I'm lucky enough to live on one of the Finger Lakes; normally that's a big plus, this year it will be challenging. This Spring has been the wettest on record since 1873. The lake level has been within six inches of elevated level (National Weather Service considers flood level to be when structures begin flooding - flooding of lawns and docks (and erosion of beaches) is "just" elevated level.) since early February (as opposed to the normal 2 weeks in late May at/near elevated level). No threat of serious flooding or erosion (for me) unless we cross flood level (one foot above elevated), but keeping the plants from getting soggy is getting time consuming. I'm trying to decide if my less-hydrophilic amaryllids would be better off protected from the rain and in indirect sunlight (at best) in the garage; or out in the full sun, but exposed to frequent dousings. So far, none are looking stressed (thankfully, I used lots of gravel, pumice and coarse sand in my potting mix). Maybe I should start expanding into amaryllids that are bog-dwellers. (Ina Crossley - I'd love to take over the task of keeping Dell supplied with Habranthus and Zephyranthes seeds, however, at least for the next few years, my growing space is too limited. All of my H. and Z. will be growing and blooming within a few feet of each other and maintaining purity of the seeds would be difficult.) (Jim Waddick - yes, please, dispense some more crinum love to the SX - crinums love rain!) I'm looking forward to meeting and learning from all the experienced growers on this list. Mike (who peers out the window and sees that it is raining, again) _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/…