Diane Whitehead asked about her Leucocoryne seedlings, >Many of the small islands around here have native cactus and all but two Cyclamen species grow well outside on them, even ones that are grown in pots in England. (I forget which the two are, but persicum, libanoticum, cyprium, africanum are fine.) Is there any chance that such an island garden would approximate the area you describe? >Alberto mentioned Leucocorynes should be frost-free, but is there one >species that has a possible chance of growing outside? Answer: I did not realize how much warmer Diane's garden is than mine -- she is on the coast, more than 300 miles north of where I live, but I'm about 200 miles inland and at 1600 feet elevation. If those cyclamen grow outside for her, she is at least two "zones" warmer than me. I talked with a curator at the Valparaiso Botanic Garden last year, and he told me they had been as cold as minus 4 C (about 25 F) in recent years. Valparaiso, Chile, is a native area for Leucocoryne coquimbensis and Pasithea caerulea. In Diane's area I'd certainly try them outside, especially if she is in a "rain shadow" area. The other species we're talking about seem to grow more to the north, in the real "fog desert," where they may never experience frost; I suppose it would depend on the topography, but I don't remember seeing them east of the coast ranges. Pabellonia (syn. Leucocoryne) incrassata was probably at least 300 miles north of Valparaiso when I saw it, and growing almost within sight of the ocean. With best wishes for the New Year, Jane McGary