This year's Flores and Watson seedlist had an extra sheet of old seeds, including a collection of Alstroemeria and one of Leucocoryne, a genus I just discovered this year, on this list, and of which I have so far never seen a plant. The pbs discussion and pictures roused plant lust, and I have been ordering seed wherever I've seen it. (So far, the Alpine Garden Society, Plant World and F & W, all sown today.) I was a bit leery of paying real money for old seeds, but a Chilean study had proved that Leucocoryne seeds just left lying around at room temperature were still good until they were 2.3 years old, and would be totally dead at 6 years. I was sure that Watson and Cheese (his U.K. colleague) would have treated the seed better than that, so it seemed a good gamble. The Chilean botanist had soaked the seed for 4 days. I set out to do that, but the days stretched to 6. Tonight I sowed the soaked seed and found that one, L. incrassata, had already germinated. That was a very cheering sight. The species I got from F & W are: appendiculata, coquimbensis, incrassata, ixioides, macropetala, purpurea, vittata. Some of the seed was measured out generously enough that I will be able to try some bulbs outside when they seem big enough. -- Diane Whitehead Victoria, British Columbia, Canada maritime zone 8 cool mediterranean climate (dry summer, rainy winter - 68 cm annually) sandy soil