Dear Diane, Thanks for posting the information on Cypella herbertii. A number of years ago Eric Walton talked about Cypellas on the IBS forum. He had written an article for the New Zealand Garden Journal about Cypellas and was kind enough when I asked to send me a copy. He says this: "The most commonly grown Cypella in New Zealand is C. herbertii. It is the most widespread species in nature, being indigenous to Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. The leaves are approximately 20 cm. long, but when in flower the plant grows to about 45 to 60 cm. high. The outer tepals are a rusty orange colour with a dark brown stripe down the middle of each. The inner tepals are similar in colours to the outer tepals, but with a white stripe down the centre and brown flecks joining the orange and white bands. The flowers only last one day, but a well-grown clump will produce several hundred flowers over the summer and is quite showy in its own way." So you must be growing it well. Also, "These species are easily grown in well draining soil or in pots in full sun. They are semi-evergreen, never going fully dormant and never losing all their leaves in winter. In my Hamilton garden, these species are frost hardy, whether in pots or in the ground. In fact, I suspect the plants require a certain amount of cold during winter to flower well the following spring and summer.... Generally, all species of Cypella respond well to regular applications of fertiliser. The better the plant is grown the more flowers are produced. If the plants are kept well watered, flowering will continue into the summer for C. armosa, C. fucata, C. herbertii and C. osteniana. Sometimes if a watering is missed the plants will temporarily stop flowering, but will resume when watered again if the break is not too long. Don't allow the bulbs to dry out when being transplanted. Time out of the ground should be minimised, because many species are never fully dormant. Also, the bulbs do not have very thick skins to protect them from desiccation." I'll copy the complete article and send it to you. It will be a copy of a copy, but still probably somewhat legible. Now that I hear about your success in a climate like mine I am really taking notice. I haven't really had very much success with Cypella coelestris (syn. C. plumbea, Phalocallis coelestris.) I have only had a few blooms on it and this year so far none. It was blooming nicely in my friend Jana Ulmer's garden in Sebastopol recently and I will post a picture of that plant my husband took on both images lists. She has it growing in the ground. My Hesperoxiphion peruvianum plants look very robust this year and I am ever hopeful that they will soon decide to bloom. That is the plant that Sir Peter Smithers said if you pinched off the spent flower each day, it would keep on blooming. I have done that with the plant Will Ashburner identified as Calydorea amabilis and it is still blooming. Yesterday there were four flowers as it has branched. If I don't pinch it the next day, I have a hard time figuring out what part to pinch off without interrupting the flowering. I have a picture of it too, but it is growing in the greenhouse for extra heat and a bit dark, but I'll post it as well. I am going to send this to the Australian list too as I suspect there may be some people there who grow these plants and maybe Alberto will comment as well. It is cumbersome sharing back and forth, but it gets us all together. Mary Sue