Dear All, When I was living in a part of California with warmer summers and dryer winters I had a number of the Crocus chrysanthus hybrids increase and come back really well in the ground, but I watered in summer and had clay soil. I have some I brought with me surviving here in my wetter climate as well, but it's always a gamble with all the crocuses that bloom during our very wet winters. Crocus laevigatus 'Fontenayi' I got from Lauw is quite nice and has bloomed more than one year but I didn't plant it in the ground so I can move it out of the rain since we often have rain when it is blooming. If I had more I'd try it out. Crocus kotschyanus or so it was labeled bloomed a couple of years in winter (I know that is the wrong time but that is what happened) in one of my raised beds, but it and C. pulchellus never came up in the ground but it could have been the source I purchased them from. My very best one is Crocus imperati. Amazing to hear it blooms for 5 weeks. It is increasing really well for me so I have a large clump. This year it was stunning, but only for days and then we had quite a lot of rain and there were a few more blooms, but nothing like before. Still I'm happy to have it. It blooms here in December and January and that time of the year blooms are so welcome and it is in the ground and returning in greater numbers each year. I have quite a few I keep trying from seed, mostly from the NARGS seed exchange. They must be very popular because there are only a few seeds in most of the packets, but they are mostly coming back and maybe one day they will bloom. I too am grateful for Tony's site as it gives me ideas of what to try and am making note of the ones that others are growing as well, especially Lauw. Mary Sue Mary Sue Ittner <msittner@mcn.org> California's North Coast Wet mild winters with occasional frost Dry mild summers