On a typical cloudy, chilly Portland (Oregon) morning I've been admiring the fortitude of Crocus tournefortii. Summer before last I decided to try it outside the bulb house, where it increases rapidly, and planted some in a raised bed constructed primarily for species tulips but augmented by a few summer-flowering small alpines and fall-flowering bulbs. There the crocus has succeeded through a colder and much wetter than average winter and a very hot summer with almost no irrigation. It flowers about the same time as the ones under cover. The unusual feature of this species is that it keeps its flowers open at night and in dim weather, while other crocuses close up. The flowers are large and soft lavender and show up well. The outdoor ones are looking fairly good despite recent heavy rain. Their soil is sandy, with added pumice and in the open bed some fertile compost and limestone chips. Crocus tournefortii is restricted in nature to a number of islands off southern and eastern Greece, including Crete, growing, according to Brian Mathew's /The Crocus, /on "open stony ground and rock crevices, or in dryish scrub, usually on limestone formations but also recorded on mica-schist, sea level to 650 metres." Mathew recommends growing it under cover to protect the flowers, but I think it would be a good choice for the open garden in warm to moderate climates -- certainly a good choice for California. Its closest relative is Crocus boryi, which also grows both outdoors and under cover here, increasing best on a gravelly clay berm in the open and also appearing in nearby turf. Another in the same late-autumnal section is Crocus laevigatus, an excellent increaser which I unhappily lost to field mice (if you got it from me and have a lot, I'd appreciate a new start!). I grew C. tournefortii from seed originally, about 25 years ago, and seed is sometimes available in the rock garden society exchanges. These fall crocuses do best if sown in late summer, but I had some germinate from the NARGS surplus distribution last year. Oron Peri's seed list is a good source, and he ships at the right time. Jane McGary Portland, Oregon, USA _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/…