Some bulbs will never make the fast bloom category as they don't germinate fast. I have two that have just germinated: Allium narcissiflorum from seed collected in the Dolomites, sown January 1999 Colchicum pusillum from Alpine Garden Society seed sown February 2000. I find the slowness of the allium interesting since onions and leeks grow so quickly that I expect the whole family to be fast. The colchicum is the very first that has ever germinated for me, and now that it has emerged, I have hopes for the other half dozen sown about the same time, or the year before. Diane Whitehead Victoria, British Columbia, Canada maritime zone 8 cool mediterranean climate (dry summer, rainy winter - 68 cm annually) sandy soil