Merry Christmas, everyone! Bloom is sparse here just now, and strictly in the greenhouse. Lachenalia viridiflora is blooming at its peak. Cyclamen coum is still flowering, but looks to be past its prime. One lone Nerine flexuosa is in bloom. Haemanthus deformis and Androcymbium europaeum are both showing color and appear just about ready to open. We try to suppress bloom on the Clivia and the Hippeastrum until the weather is a bit warmer. In the past I've tried to force them to flower by Christmas, but it has never gone particularly well. Now we aim for late January through early March as the target bloom times for these two genera. However, one contrary Clivia nobilis is resolutely pushing up a scape and showing color in the buds, even though the temperatures in that greenhouse are kept close to 50 F. Our best wishes to all for the holiday season! Jim Shields in cold, snowy central Indiana, where it looks as if we will have a White Christmas ************************************************* Jim Shields USDA Zone 5 Shields Gardens, Ltd. P.O. Box 92 WWW: http://www.shieldsgardens.com/ Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA Tel. ++1-317-867-3344 or toll-free 1-866-449-3344 in USA Member of INTERNATIONAL CLIVIA CO-OP